This is just a notational question but it seems that in texts on Number Theory, boldface letters are used instead of blackboard bold (e.g. $\mathbf{Q}$ vs. $\Bbb Q$). Is there any specific reason for this or is it just notational convention?
Usage of $\mathbf{Z}$ vs. $\Bbb Z$ in Number Theory
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number-theory
notation
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3the story I got is that the blackboard letters happened because people writing on blackboards usually do not fill in the bold letters; letters with multiple lines are easier. Bold letters were preferred in printing and still are, I guess. Not by everyone. – 2017-01-18
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2I have seen plenty of number theory books which use the blackboard bold letters. I suspect it comes down to the preferences of the author and/or publisher. – 2017-01-18
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0@WillJagy I'm aware of this story and it makes sense, but I only ever see things like $\mathbf{Q}$ in number theory texts – 2017-01-18
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1Right. It is different now, authors have been using Tex and Latex since, say, 1980. I use $\mathbb Z$ myself. So this issue varies by decade, say, by publisher and perhaps by country. – 2017-01-18
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0Alright, got curious. the Latex installed on my computer did not come with $\mathbb Q$ or $\mathbb Z.$ So, the one occurrence I can find in my article in a 2013 book is $\bf Z$ – 2017-01-18
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0I can't say why, but I've generally gotten the impression that the use of bold (instead of blackboard bold) for sets of numbers is much more common among French writers. – 2017-01-18