How do I line up superscripts and subscripts?

Question

I'm doing a biology outline on Microsoft Word 2003 and I wanted to know how to line up the subscripts and superscripts for the elements. like how it would be a 4 on top of a 2 next to He?

Answer 1

I'm only using Word 97 and it does subscripts and superscripts.  Go to format then fonts.  

Answer 2

I think it's impossible, I've tried.  The best thing to do is use a program like microsoft paint, use the textbox option to create all of your characters, then resize, cut and paste the numbers and letters where they should be by the element.  Then cut the entire image and paste into the Word document.

Answer 3

You can't with the normal subscript and superscript options.

But you can use the equation editor to do that.

Since using the equation editor has a learning curve and some people may not have it installed on their computers (it comes with Word, but isn't installed by default) then the convention that has become popular (and used in the Handbook of Chemistry and Physics) is to write the atomic number as a subscript before the chemical symbol, and the mass number as a superscript after the symbol.

As in ...

92U238

where 92 is subscripted and 238 is superscripted

======== Follow up ========

Oh No!  Don't use paint.  It will look terrible.  The method I've just given you is better, and is in common usage in scientific literature.

Rather than use Paint, track down the Equation Editor.  See if it is installed on your computer.  

Click insert, object, and then scroll down to look for Microsoft Equation Editor x.x

If not, get your Word CD and install it.

Link to MS for installing it

http://www.wellesley.edu/Computing/WinXP...

How to use it

http://www.ele.uri.edu/Courses/ele343/tu...

More on how to use it

http://spot.pcc.edu/~ssimonds/thisandtha...

http://teach.fcps.net/trt15/InstrTech/Mi...

http://callcentre.education.ed.ac.uk/dow...

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You're welcome.

Equation editor is definitely worth the time to learn to use.  It beats the socks off of Paint.  I never use it.  I use equation editor extensively.