How to memorize the Option key ⌥?

Question

I wonder if there is a good way to memorize the Option key ⌥. I almost always think of it as the Shift key, because it looks like a lower level and a higher level (the small hyphen elevated).

Or maybe a way to memorize it better is, what is the shape of this symbol for? I mean, what does it represent symbol wise?

Answer 1

Weird/cool question!

I think I went through a similar thought process at one point: the way I think of it is like a set of train tracks. The train enters at the left and reaches a fork or split, giving it the option of the upper or lower path to the right. In the glyph, the tracks are set for the lower option.

Shift does have its own glyph: ⇧, which can be remembered as pushing the case of the typed letter up.

Answer 2

It's been suggested that the origin of the option key symbol lies in the symbols used in electrical diagrams to indicate a switch [1,2], allowing the electrical current to either go through the bottom or top route:

See also the section switches on the Wikipedia article “Electronic symbol”.

I remember reading that this isn't just a suggestion, but is the actual origin of the symbol but I can't find an authoritative source on that at the moment.

1. http://www.quora.com/Keyboards-computer/What-is-the-origin-of-the-Macs-option-key-symbol-%E2%8C%A5
2. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/1864469

Answer 3

There is a slash, so you have the option of the side with the hyphen and the side without.

Answer 4

All of the European Apple keyboards show, on the keys themselves, the icon for not just option, but shift, caps lock, command, tab, delete, and return. Check out the different languages they have available.

The Japanese Apple keyboards, like the American ones, don't have any of these icons, so they can commiserate with us.

I really have no clue why they don't do this for the American (and Japanese) keyboards, since it's so ridiculously useful.

The good news is that they seem to sell these keyboards in America now, and "standard shipping" is free, so if you can deal with some of the keys being slightly different (like "return" being double-tall), you can order yourself a nice new Belgian keyboard and sell your old American keyboard on craigslist!

Answer 5

The easiest way is this:

There is only one key on the entire bottom row of the keyboard with two items stacked on top of each other -- just like the ⌥ in question. I think this is a much simpler visual-mental association to remember.