Remix.run Logo
ahmeneeroe-v2 13 hours ago

American banknotes have numbers on them to easily distinguish the different values!

afavour 13 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> The United States is the only country that prints all denominations of currency in the same size. The US and Switzerland are the only two countries that use the same colors for all of their various bills. Needless to say, this sameness of size and color make it impossible for a blind person to locate the correct bills to make a purchase without some sort of assistance, or confirm that he or she has been given the correct change by the sales clerk. Even people with partial sight may have trouble distinguishing a $1 bill from a $10, especially if the bill is old and worn.

https://afb.org/blindness-and-low-vision/using-technology/ac...

nayuki 12 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> The United States is the only country that prints all denominations of currency in the same size

Let me assure you that all Canadian banknotes are the same size too, 6.00 inch × 2.75 inch (152.40 mm × 69.85 mm). I'm not sure how the article got this fact wrong.

As a side note, Canadian banknotes don't have braille, but have an ad hoc system of bumps: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_currency_tactile_feat...

axiolite 10 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> Let me assure you that all Canadian banknotes are the same size too [...] not sure how the article got this fact wrong.

Because Canada is just part of the U.S.

(flame away)

nayuki 9 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> Because Canada is just part of the U.S.

As a Canadian, I'm amused to hear this because it is basically true as a first approximation.

Random factoid - Canadian coins ($2, $1, $0.25, $0.10, $0.05, $0.01 (withdrawn)) come in almost the same denominations as US coins ($1 (uncommon), $0.05 (rare), $0.25, $0.10, $0.05, $0.01), and they are the same diameter and thickness, but maybe having different weight and magnetic properties. It's kind of scary that Canadian coins are essentially state-sanctioned counterfeits of US coins.

Another weird thing is that the National Basketball Association (NBA) has 29 American teams and 1 Canadian one... making it more of an international basketball association. I think another sports league with "national" in its name also crosses national boundaries.

If you take a random person and teleport them between a random mix of Canadian and US cities, I think they'll find it hard to tell the two countries apart. The primary language is English, the accent is the same, the streets and buildings look the same, people watch/listen/read much of the same media, and so on.

One party trick that I practice when traveling in America is to not volunteer information about where I'm from, and see how long I can blend into groups of people and conversations until someone suspects something or asks a direct question. Needless to say, I can last pretty long, and even debated things like US federal politics. The internal diversity of people within the US (e.g. skin color, accent, beliefs) really helps an outsider like me blend in.

Also note that there is a one-way relationship going on. Canadians know more about the US than what's necessary for life. Heck, even the state broadcaster CBC will put out entire news segments (e.g. 5 to 20 minutes) on US-specific issues. Knowing about the US - whether it's major companies, cities, TV series - is unavoidable to Canadians. But ask the average American about anything related to Canada, and you'll likely get a blank stare.

However, some of the differences between Canada and the USA include: Guns(!), personal and state violence, healthcare, social safety net, political polarization, income, prestige, number of big companies, French language, atmospheric climate.

extraduder_ire 8 hours ago | parent [-]

> Another weird thing is that the National Basketball Association (NBA) has 29 American teams and 1 Canadian one

The NHL is a better example of this, I think.

9 hours ago | parent | prev [-]
[deleted]
zahlman 11 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

> Although similar in appearance to braille, it differs because standard Braille was deemed too sensitive.

Yes. This system is more resistant to wear and tear.

ebruchez an hour ago | parent | prev | next [-]

> The US and Switzerland are the only two countries that use the same colors for all of their various bills.

Factually absolutely incorrect for Switzerland, and easy to verify. Swiss bank notes are and have been some of the most colorful (and pretty, I should say) around, and all have different sizes.

varun_ch 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Switzerland has same colors for all of the various bills? As far as I can tell, that has never been true

HansHamster 12 hours ago | parent [-]

This also confused me. The current ones have very distinct colors and also all the previous series used different colors as far as I can tell: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banknotes_of_the_Swiss_franc

SoftTalker 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's a bit odd that the mint doesn't emboss the denomination in braille on each note. I'd think that there would be a way to do that and have it hold up pretty well in circulation?

wasabi991011 13 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I think I've seen that blind people in the US have a little machine that they can use to add the braille themselves. Also from a quick google search there's also electronic bill readers that can be provided to blind people for free if they qualify.

In Canada the bills are embossed with braille by the mint. There may be other accommodations too, but I haven't looked it up.

macintux 12 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> I think I've seen that blind people in the US have a little machine that they can use to add the braille themselves.

That solves half the problem, but you still don't know whether you're getting correct change.

zahlman 11 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Not braille; see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45904000.

Maxion 13 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Braille does not help everyone. Most people with vision issues are not legally lind and do not know braille.

sequoia 11 hours ago | parent | next [-]

In canada it's "one cluster of dots = $5, two clusters = $10, three = $20" and so on. You just feel the number of dot clusters & count, no braille involved.

yesfitz 12 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Anyone able to feel the dots could learn to distinguish bills this way without learning braille beyond that, regardless of their vision.

Anyone who didn't find the feature useful could ignore it.

whoaoweird 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's wild to see you downvoted. Only about 10% of blind people know braille. There are many more people who have visual impairments but are not blind. Braille is not a universal solution (though I would rather have it than not have it).

axiolite 10 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Chiming in to complain that a good, working solution to a problem just doesn't happen to solve ALL PROBLEMS is just banality or perhaps pedantry. Unless it was also proposing an alternative that might do better...

Braille on money also doesn't help dyslexic quadrplegics with dysesthesia... Checkmate.

justsomehnguy 12 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

But you don't need to know braille to learn how the most common bills are marked.

Just like you don't need to know Japanese to count the exact amount of yen bills.

justsomehnguy 12 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

You need a week of low-key exposure to learn how each bill is marked.

JJMcJ 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The ten dollar bill has a somewhat different color than the other currency, somewhat yellowish.

kbolino 11 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

All U.S. bills in common circulation (all denominations except $2) have been different colors for 20 years.

ajmurmann 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

From dealing with Euro notes, I like being able to look down at the money in the wallet and pull the right notes out based on color. With USD I need to take the bills out of the wallet.

Arubis 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Which is great if you are fully abled! But for folks for whom sight isn't as strong, additional aids (different colors, different sized banknotes for different denominations) are super helpful.

zahlman 11 hours ago | parent | next [-]

Being fully sighted, I still appreciate it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb_cut_effect

filleduchaos 13 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Some currencies also have braille-like embossments so that if you're totally blind, you can still pick out the correct denominations.

ceejayoz 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Not everyone can see.

Australian notes vary in size for this reason.

rayiner 13 hours ago | parent [-]

[flagged]

SkyLemon 13 hours ago | parent | next [-]

One thing about accessibility and usability, is that when you design something for the minority it tends to make things better for the majority. Take ramps for example, they not only server those in wheel chairs, but also families with strollers and elderly with walkers.

cestith 12 hours ago | parent [-]

Crutches and canes can be easier on a ramp, too. Even people with fine balance but limits on movement of the hip, knee, or ankle can benefit.

sailingparrot 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

The unbearable pain of having to handle bills of different sizes, there is not enough empathy in this world to truly pay hommage to your suffering.

dghlsakjg 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Does the Canadian solution of adding brail to the notes inconvenience you, or is that an acceptable way to make sure that people with disabilities can participate in cash transactions safely?

Does having different sized coins strike you as an inconvenience?

Why does a feature that can be used by anyone, regardless of disability, strike you as "inconvenient for almost everybody"?

What, exactly, is inconvenient about having notes be different sizes?

rayiner 13 hours ago | parent [-]

Different sized bills are harder to stack in a wallet. Braille is a much better way to handle the problem. No cost to the majority, while solving the problem for the minority.

krior 12 hours ago | parent | next [-]

> Different sized bills are harder to stack in a wallet.

This has never been my experience. What is the challenge?

extraduder_ire 8 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I'm used to Euro notes, and having each denomination be a different colour and height in my wallet is very useful for pulling a specific one out.

I keep them in order, with €5s in the front.

cestith 12 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

As long as the largest bills fit and the smallest bills don’t get lost I don’t understand how it’s so much harder.

dghlsakjg 12 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

It seems like having equivalent sized notes is just your personal preference, and that you are projecting that as an inconvenience onto "the majority". Based on the comments it seems like even people without disabilities mostly don't care, or actually think that it is a good feature.

For my side, even if I did agree with your preference, I am perfectly willing to deal with the incredible hardship of slightly different sized notes in my wallet in exchange for a society where disabled people need not fear being ripped off.

RandomBacon 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

God-forbid you ever end up in a minority group.

rayiner 13 hours ago | parent [-]

I’m in a minority group.

bckr 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

That’s a terribly myopic take

zahlman 11 hours ago | parent [-]

Unfortunate metaphor in context....

kgermino 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's primarily done for security and secondarily a benefit making it easier (for everyone!) to identify denomination by feel

knorker 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Quite the opposite. As a fully abled person I find it incredibly annoying to have to flip through US notes instead of just immediately picking out the right one by size and/or color.

edgineer 13 hours ago | parent [-]

Use a wallet with a divider, and sort your bills. Won't have to flip through until you carry several each of five or more denominations. If you regularly do, then use two dividers.

ryandrake 13 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Or put another way: "Deliberately griefing the experience of a small number of people just to make it marginally more convenient for everyone else."

nkrisc 13 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

And it would be even easier to distinguish them if they were different colors in addition to the printed numerals.

IshKebab 10 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

This is a joke right?