Thanks for the tip. This worked well for some fractions (e.g., 2/4 did not
reduce to 1/2). However, 0/4 and 4/4 reduced to 0 and 1, respectively. I
removed the "#", and it worked well (format "?/4").

Also, the denominator is not always the same. For some columns, the
denominator is 4, for some it is 3, and others it is 2. I can change the
format for each column separately, but is there a way to use the same format
for all of them?

Thanks,
~ Horatio


"David Benson" wrote in message
...
Horatio,

If you want your fractions to always have a specific denominator, then
yes,
there is a way.

Select the cell or range you want to format, then click Format Cells...
..
Next, click Custom. Enter format spec such as "# ?/4". The "#" specifies
a
variable number of whole-number digits. The "?" specifies a single
numerator
digit. The "/" is the division line. The "4" forces the denominator
always
to be four.

If you select a denominator with more than one digit (for example,
sixteenths), be sure that the numerator has the same number of "?'s".

David


"Horatio J. Bilge" wrote in message
...
I asked about this earlier, but I'll try again, with less rambling...

Is there a way to format fractions so that they do not reduce to the
lowest
common denominator?

For example,
0/4 does not become 0/1
2/4 does not become 1/2
4/4 does not become 1/1

Thanks,
~ Horatio