Step 1: Determine the UTF-8 encoding bit layout
The character ½ has the Unicode code point U+00BD. In UTF-8, it is encoded using 2 bytes because its codepoint is in the range of
0x0080to0x07ff.
Therefore we know that the UTF-8 encoding will be done over 11 bits within the final 16 bits and that it will have the format:110xxxxx 10xxxxxx
Where thexare the payload bits.UTF-8 Encoding bit layout by codepoint range Codepoint Range Bytes Bit pattern Payload length U+0000 - U+007F 1 0xxxxxxx 7 bits U+0080 - U+07FF 2 110xxxxx 10xxxxxx 11 bits U+0800 - U+FFFF 3 1110xxxx 10xxxxxx 10xxxxxx 16 bits U+10000 - U+10FFFF 4 11110xxx 10xxxxxx 10xxxxxx 10xxxxxx 21 bits Step 2: Obtain the payload bits:
Convert the hexadecimal code point U+00BD to binary:
10111101. Those are the payload bits.Step 3: Fill in the bits to match the bit pattern:
Obtain the final bytes by arranging the paylod bits to match the bit layout:
11000010 10111101
VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF·U+00BD
½
Character Information
Code Point
U+00BD
HEX
00BD
Unicode Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane
Category
Other Number
Character Representations
Click elements to copy| Encoding | Hex | Binary |
|---|---|---|
| UTF8 | C2 BD | 11000010 10111101 |
| UTF16 (big Endian) | 00 BD | 00000000 10111101 |
| UTF16 (little Endian) | BD 00 | 10111101 00000000 |
| UTF32 (big Endian) | 00 00 00 BD | 00000000 00000000 00000000 10111101 |
| UTF32 (little Endian) | BD 00 00 00 | 10111101 00000000 00000000 00000000 |
HTML Entity
½
URI Encoded
%C2%BD
Description
The Unicode character U+00BD, identified as VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF, is a significant typographic symbol used to represent one half in digital text. This character plays a crucial role in the typesetting and formatting of mathematical and technical documents across various platforms and devices. It belongs to the Latin Extended-A block (Latin-1 Supplement Unicode block), which extends the basic Latin character set to accommodate additional symbols necessary for proper text formatting. While its name may suggest a connection to vulgarity, VULGAR FRACTION ONE HALF is not associated with any cultural or linguistic context related to this term. Instead, it is a widely accepted and universally understood symbol utilized by mathematicians, engineers, and designers to express the concept of one half concisely within digital text. This character's role in typography is indispensable, fostering clarity and enhancing the overall readability of technical documents.
How to type the ½ symbol on Windows
Hold Alt and type 0189 on the numpad. Or use Character Map.