Top heavy fractions

[APM]

I need a way of preventing Excel (2002 on Windows XP) from changing top
heavy fractions (as in 6/4) to "normal" fractions (as in 1 1/2).

We have three columns of fractions which need to be entered as "top heavy"
and then a fourth column which is a calculation of the first three.

As we have to perform a calculation on the fourth column we can not format
the other columns as text (to prevent the changing from "6/4" to "1 1/2").

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Phillips]

This might help a little:

Format the columns to ###/### FROM FORMAT->SPECIAL.. This will atleast keep
it as fraction...
Can you break the fraction up into two col? A denominaator ad a numerator
and then perform the calc in the other roww?
To get 6/2 and 4/1
have col A value = 6, col B equal 2 and then col C = 4 and then col D would
equal 1
col 5 would equal (a1/b2) * (c1*d1)

I am not sure how else to do it...
You could leave it as text, and then multiply value(a1) * value(b1), except
it then might cnvert the fraction into a date....

Phil

 

[Ron Rosenfeld]

I need a way of preventing Excel (2002 on Windows XP) from changing top
heavy fractions (as in 6/4) to "normal" fractions (as in 1 1/2).

We have three columns of fractions which need to be entered as "top heavy"
and then a fourth column which is a calculation of the first three.

As we have to perform a calculation on the fourth column we can not format
the other columns as text (to prevent the changing from "6/4" to "1 1/2").

Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

There's no problem in making the fraction "top-heavy". Merely format the cell
as ?/?

The problem arises if you want to keep the fraction unreduced. In other words,
when you enter =6/4, XL stores this as 1.5. So formatting it as ###/### will
result in 3/2.

If that is not an issue, then you are all set.

If you need a specific denominator, you could format as #/4.

If you require that the denominator be the same as what you enter, then you may
need to enter it as text and use a VBA or morefunc.xll solution to convert it
to a real number for calculation.


--ron