Comments on: Build me the perfect equation... in Microsoft Word

Question: Build me the perfect equation... in Microsoft Word

madforplaid — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 20:32:51 -0800

How do I use Word 2007's Equation Builder to create a combination of subscripted and normal size characters?

I'm using Microsoft Word 2007's Equation Builder to insert some formulae into a document. The majority of my formulae have elements that look like this: _ab_c

However, the Equation Builder has other plans, and will only let me enter a subscripted character after a normal character, so it ends up looking like this: a_bc

In other words, I want to be able to include a subscript on either side of a normal sized character. The whole thing is part of a fraction, which is why I'm using the Equation Builder and not entering it as normal text.

What I have tried:
- Creating it as normal text and pasting it into the equation builder (the subscripts revert to normal sized text when it is pasted in)
- Manually changing the characters to subscripts in the equation builder (the option is greyed out).

Any ideas? Is this even possible? It's driving me crazy!

By: peacheater

peacheater — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:11:49 -0800

I just tried doing this and had no problems with it. Here's what I did. I opened equation editor and open the subscript and superscripts menu. I clicked on the symbol that looks like a big box with a small box to the lower left of it. I entered the lower left subscript in the small box (a) and then moved up to enter the main character (b). Then I again clicked on the menu and clicked on the symbol that looked like a big box with a small box to the lower right of it. I then entered the lower subscript in the small box that appeared. Try that and tell me if you have any problems.

By: peacheater

peacheater — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 21:13:15 -0800

Sorry I should have checked that over before posting: I then entered the lower right subscript (c) in the small box that appeared to the bottom right of everything else.

By: !Jim

!Jim — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:44:32 -0800

Second peacheater. Here's what I did:

Insert equation

Pick from the menu the item that looks like ^a_bc (except the "a" and b are aligned - this isn't because it's HTML)

Put an "a" in the bottom-left subscript box.

Put a "b" in the normal-sized box

Highlight this entire unit

Pick the regular right-side subscript from the menu.

The _ab is placed inside of the normal-sized box of the right-sided subscript, since it was highlighted. If it wasn't highlighted, you should be able to copy and paste it in

Then I put a "c" in the subscript box created in step 6.

The equation editor is pretty picky so you have to be sure that when you select stuff, you're selecting the entire block and not just a single letter.

By: madforplaid

madforplaid — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:35:44 -0800

Thanks peacheater and !Jim, your instructions worked perfectly!