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

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

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

On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 22:20:11 -0600, "Horatio J. Bilge"
wrote:

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?

Try the format "?/?" for a 1-digit denominator ("??/??" for a 2-digit
denominator, etc.) The "# ?/?" format does the same thing, but allows for
numbers greater than or equal to 1 (e.g. 2-1/4). That was why you got a "1"
earlier.



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

"Jay Somerset" wrote in message
...
Try the format "?/?" for a 1-digit denominator ("??/??" for a 2-digit
denominator, etc.) The "# ?/?" format does the same thing, but allows for
numbers greater than or equal to 1 (e.g. 2-1/4). That was why you got a
"1"
earlier.


With the format "?/?" fractions still reduce automatically. For example, 2/2
becomes 1/1, and 2/4 becomes 1/2.
Thanks for the info about "# ?/?". That's handy to know.

~ Horatio

On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 07:55:25 -0600, "Horatio J. Bilge"
wrote:


"Jay Somerset" wrote in message
...
Try the format "?/?" for a 1-digit denominator ("??/??" for a 2-digit
denominator, etc.) The "# ?/?" format does the same thing, but allows for
numbers greater than or equal to 1 (e.g. 2-1/4). That was why you got a
"1"
earlier.


With the format "?/?" fractions still reduce automatically. For example, 2/2
becomes 1/1, and 2/4 becomes 1/2.

Yes -- if you want to stop reduction, you have to specify the denominator
explicitly.

Thanks for the info about "# ?/?". That's handy to know.
You're welcome.

~ Horatio