Entering a Measurement in the Equation Editor

by Allen Wyatt
(last updated July 19, 2018)

The Equation Editor uses a separate system of measurement than what you may have defined in Word. By default, the Equation Editor works with measurements in points for some settings and percentages of normal for others. (The term percentage of normal simply means that the Equation Editor has some internal value that it believes is "normal" for the setting. The measurement you enter is considered a percentage of that internal value.) You can enter measurements using different units by appending any of the abbreviations shown here:

Unit Abbreviation
Inches in
Centimeters cm
Millimeters mm
Points pt
Picas pi
Percentages of normal %

WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (921) 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. ...

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