Numbers: When inserting a formula for division when typing in the "/" divide sign, only returned the default " ?

Look very closely and you will see that Numbers is using the traditional division symbol:

"÷"

a line with a dot above and below. This looks similar to the "+" . You can confirm the mathematical operation is correct by entering "=10/2" and you will see that Numbers displays the result of 5 not "7" which is 5 plus 2.

Hello iekirk

When pressing the "/" (forward slash) key to represent a division, Numbers changes it to a division symbol. It may look like a plus symbol, but it's actually a division symbol. I zoomed in my snapshot so you could see the "divide by" operator in the Formula line.

I hope this answers your question.

Regards,

SoftwareAddict1462

I agree, this is a serious accessibility issue. I can't tell the difference between the plus and division signs on my MacBook Air with my glasses on or off. I had to copy the formula and edit it in a text editor so I could see what I was doing. Please Apple, change the division sign to the standard / to comply with accessibility requirements.

At my age (over 60) I no longer can see the difference without expanding the view every time! If it were once per day it would not be a problem, but this is like once per minute (I use some very long formulas). I am about to give up on Numbers just because of this simple problem - and I really am trying to switch from Excel.

Maybe if you Apple made the dots thicker and a bit farther appart it would be more visible, but why not simply use "/"?

Tut2

Tut2 wrote:

Maybe if you Apple made the dots thicker and a bit farther appart it would be more visible, but why not simply use "/"?

Hi Tut2,

We're fellow users here. If you want to communication with Apple then in your menu you can got to Numbers > Provide Numbers Feedback.

FWIW, I don't mind the division sign, now that I know to expect it when I type a / . It's unambiguous and is consistent with what one expects to see on calculators and mobile devices (Numbers is running on mobile devices a lot these days).

Nice selection of example numbers... 🙂

I'm working on a 27" iMac - However, I couldn't differentiate the + vs the ÷ as they just look way too similar - it surprises me that nobody at Apple saw that obvious flaw...