The thing I love about standards, is hat there are so many to choose from
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bloody thing
5$ & eleventy cents.
Seriously, $5 or 11c|. I couldn't find the cents symbol, but the point is, if it's less than $1, the money symbol comes after the number. I think it's just to confuse people trying to learn English.
As with language, it could well be that when the format developed ... for transcribing financial transactions (double-entry book-keeping, for example), ...
This is not used for distance, or speed, because the need to describe these (as a standard) came later than the need to have accurate financial records.
As with language, it could well be that when the format developed (in late medieval Italy) for transcribing financial transactions (double-entry book-keeping, for example), certain conventions were applied which became the norm, or standard, and continued to be used as such, such as, placing the currency symbol in front of the described amount.
I don't agree. True enough for speed, I concede. But financial transactions would be very concerned about the weight of things. Weights come after the number, recall, traditionally. Also, distance would also be accurately measured for property boundaries, distance to carry freight, etc etc. Recall that the ancient Egyptians were an early inventor of geometry and distance measurements since they had to re-mark farmer's land holdings every time the Nile flooded.
...maybe they just used a separate column in the spreadsheet for the symbol, thus making it possible to be pre-entered on a template
While the ancient Egyptians were of course an early inventor of geometry, much of what they knew had been lost (and needed to be rediscovered) by the time of the Renaissance.
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Only "lost" from the European perspective. Much of knowledge "rediscovered" during the Renaissance was transferred from the Islamic world's scientists.
Oh, yes that is absolutely true, ...
Which still doesn't settle the $ placement question ...
Unless the Pope has had something to say on the matter?
Only if His Holiness spoke ex cathedra.....(and historically, his decision to do so came rather late in the day).....
More like ex catheter