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    $\begingroup$ Most of these stories about single lettered symbols are reverse history. Someone just tries to rationalize them. $\endgroup$ Commented Feb 2 at 3:07
  • $\begingroup$ @ACR This is precisely why it would be interesting to see a well-document account of the symbol's history, and any remarks about the choice of this letter given by its earliest adopters. $\endgroup$ Commented Apr 29 at 22:19
  • $\begingroup$ You've got it mixed up: pulsus derives from pellere, while impetus derives from a different verb, viz. petere. See: etymonline.com/search?q=pulse and etymonline.com/search?q=impetus $\endgroup$ Commented Apr 30 at 7:55