fractions

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mlloydjunk@yahoo.com - 26 Jul 2007 16:12 GMT

I'm trying to type a recipe in Word. The 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 fractions
convert to small compact-looking fractions but 1/3, 2/3, etc. look
like regular numbers. Any suggestions?

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Elliott Roper - 26 Jul 2007 16:57 GMT

> I'm trying to type a recipe in Word. The 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 fractions
> convert to small compact-looking fractions but 1/3, 2/3, etc. look
> like regular numbers. Any suggestions?

If you are using Mac Word 2004 then you can add to the autocorrect
entries for more fractions.
First, insert into a Word document, the fraction you wish to add using
the OS X character palette. (That is a bit tricky, search for VULGAR
FRACTION if you can think of a way) They are scattered about the code
tables a bit, and not all fractions are available in all fonts. Look at
unicode 2153 to 215F for rarer ones and 00bc to 00be for 1/4 1/2 3/4
Select it in the Word doc
Choose Tools » autocorrect and fill in the replace field with something
memorable. My convention is to wrap the fraction in parentheses e.g.
(1/5).
Press add.
Repeat for all the fractions you can find that you are interested in.

I googled the web in the end, with a search string of "unicode vulgar
fraction"
It seems that list above, which I found by blundering about in
character palette is complete.

You can construct others from equation fields or by playing silly games
with overwrites and / bars. That was the way we did it in Word v.X
before Unicode arrived.

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Clive Huggan - 27 Jul 2007 00:04 GMT

On 27/7/07 1:57 AM, in article 260720071657513839%nospam@yrl.co.uk, "Elliott
Roper" <nospam@yrl.co.uk> wrote:

>> I'm trying to type a recipe in Word. The 1/4, 1/2, and 3/4 fractions
>> convert to small compact-looking fractions but 1/3, 2/3, etc. look
[quoted text clipped - 22 lines]
> with overwrites and / bars. That was the way we did it in Word v.X
> before Unicode arrived.

For the "silly games" angle (which has an advantage with quickly formatting
less common fractions, and doesn't rely on special characters -- albeit I
don't disagree at all with Elliott's remarks), you might like to look at an
article that starts on page 203 of some notes on the way I use Word for the
Mac, titled "Bend Word to Your Will", which are available as a free download
from the Word MVPs' website
(http://word.mvps.org/Mac/Bend/BendWordToYourWill.html).

[Note: "Bend Word to your will" is designed to be used electronically and
most subjects are self-contained dictionary-style entries. If you decide to
read more widely than the item I've referred to, it's important to read the
front end of the document -- especially pages 3 and 5 -- so you can select
some Word settings that will allow you to use the document effectively.]
Cheers,

Clive Huggan
Canberra, Australia
(My time zone is 5-11 hours different from North America and Europe, so my
follow-on responses to those regions can be delayed)
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Mac Forum / Applications / Word / July 2007

fractions