Placing Numbers Over Other Numbers

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated May 18, 2019)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


Jeff has a need to create "almost a fraction," and he doesn't know how. For example, he needs to create the fraction 41/104 (41 over 104), but without the line; just the number 41 over the number 104. Jeff wonders how he can move numbers (41) over other numbers (104) on the same line.

There are a couple of approaches you can take to this. One is to use the Equation Editor to create a "matrix" that will contain the numbers. (How you use the Equation Editor has been covered in other issues of WordTips.) You'll want to use the matrix tool from the Equation Editor's toolbar to insert a 2 x 1 matrix (two rows by one column). You can then put whatever numbers you want in each box of the matrix.

You could also forego using the Equation Editor and place the numbers in a text box. Within the text box type the number 41, press Enter, and then type 104. Adjust the line spacing and alignment of the text and make sure that the border of the text box is removed.

Perhaps the best solution is to use the EQ (equation) field that has been available since the earliest days of Word. You can follow these steps:

  1. Press Ctrl+F9. This inserts a pair of field braces within your document.
  2. Type "eq \a \ac (41,104)" (without the quote marks).
  3. Press F9 to collapse the field and change to the field's results.

The EQ field can perform some amazing adjustments of your text. Case in point is the above steps, which creates an inline matrix. The number 41 appears above the number 104, and they are centered horizontally in relation to each other.

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (7137) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Editing Headers and Footers

Headers and footers are a nice final touch in a document. You can easily edit them by using the methods described in this ...

Discover More

Displaying the PC Settings Screen

Need to customize how your Windows interface looks? If so, you'll want to use the PC Settings screen. This tip explains ...

Discover More

Making the Paste Options Button Option Persistent

It is nice when you change settings in Word and the program remembers your settings from session to session. In this tip ...

Discover More

Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2013. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word 2013 Step by Step today!

More WordTips (menu)

Smushing Text Together

Word gives you control over how your text appears on the page. This includes adjusting how close letters are to each ...

Discover More

Underlining Quoted Text

Do you have a document in which you need to convert all the quoted text (text surrounded by quotes) to underlined text? ...

Discover More

Automatically Using Smart Quotes

As a way to make your documents look more professional, Word can utilize "smart quotes" for both quote marks and ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is five more than 3?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.

Videos
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.