Microsoft KB Archive/67470

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Excel: Entering Fractions Without Decimal Values

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 3.0, 4.0

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SUMMARY
In Microsoft Excel, when fractional values are entered in a nondecimal form (that is, 1/2 or 11/16), a 0 (zero) and a space must be typed before each fraction. If a zero and a space are not typed, Excel interprets the fraction as a date or as text.

Fractions that have a numerator of 12 or less or a denominator of 99 or less will be interpreted as dates. &quot;12/99&quot; without a space before it will be interpreted as &quot;December 1999&quot;. If the numerator is greater than 12, or if the denominator is greater than 99, the fraction will be interpreted as text.

NOTE: Fractions entered into Excel version 2.20 or earlier will always be interpreted as dates or as text.