# Font question: MS Reference Speciality **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 12, 2023, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-question-ms-reference-speciality/982550 "2023-04-12T04:06:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ferris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ferris/32/11573_2.png) [@Ferris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferris)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-question-ms-reference-speciality/982550/1 "2023-04-12T04:06:14Z")
This font contains quite a few symbols that have me baffled as to their use. There are plenty of sensible fractions of the 1/n type, as well as two-thirds, seven-eighths, etc. But amongst those, I also find oddities like 1/243, 1/15750, 10/71 and 16/19. Since the square root of minus one is available, as well as c/lambda and 1/2(pi) I presume there’s some esoteric significance to those fractions? In addition, there are some characters that look like fractions without the horizontal line, e.g. 235 over 92. Do they have a totally different meaning than a fraction? I gather that the font was developed for specific Microsoft products, but am at a loss to understand the purpose of some of them. Are they ‘advanced maths’, or something different? ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-question-ms-reference-speciality/982550/2 "2023-04-12T04:36:16Z")
> [@Ferris](#): > > In addition, there are some characters that look like fractions without the horizontal line, e.g. 235 over 92. Do they have a totally different meaning than a fraction? I think these are for isotopes: 24 over 11 is Sodium-24, 235 over 92 is Uranium-235, etc. ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2023, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/font-question-ms-reference-speciality/982550/3 "2023-04-12T04:54:55Z")
> [@CaveMike](#): > > I think these are for isotopes: > 24 over 11 is Sodium-24, 235 over 92 is Uranium-235, etc. I take that back. I think it is just a coincidence; it doesn’t work for all of the glyphs. And the font is focused on math.