Cell Size ratio ??

[Jtucker10278]

This is just to satisfy my own curiosity

Why is Cell height measured differently than Cell width?

Standard Cell height is 15, which is equal to 20 pixels, and that's about 1/4 inch.

And standard Cell width is is 8.43 which is equal to 64 pixels and that's about 3/4 inch.

So my first question is why not just measure it in pixels why not just say the cell is 20H x 64W

And my second question is what is this magical numbering system where 15=20 and 8.43=64?

 

[MickG]

This may help:-
https://www.pcreview.co.uk/threads/exact-ratio-of-width-to-height-to-get-a-square-cell.3454558/

 

[Johnny C]

That's Microsoft for you.

I'm guessing that it's the same reason they identify coordinates Row, Column i.e. (y,x) when the rest of the world has used (x,y) forever. And the same reason that even within Excel there are inconsistencies, generally in an editable field, you press F2 to swap to navigate mode but in conditional formatting and others navigate is default and you press F2 to leave it.

Seriously, I seem to remember in the dim and distant past that it's to do with printing on A4 (or letter) paper, it relates to dots per inch (dpi) when printers worked on 300 dpi vertically and horizontally. That's why a unit is narrower horizontally than vertically because paper has more dots vertically than horizontally.

 

[Jtucker10278]

What a huge let down.

Excel is so beautiful and amazing, and i had thought perfect in every way. And now to find out it has this ugly little blemish on it.

I really thought there would be some perfectly logical, or even elegant reason for it.

Now I wished I wouldn't have asked.

 

[Johnny C]

A lot of things are hangovers of stuff that have been in since day 1, and never got functionally rewritten, just repackaged.

As it has to be backwards compatible, they can't monkey around with things without a load of uproar. For example macros that worked on cells having those odd sizings, if they suddenly change them between versions then people might get upset at having to rewrite macros. Probably not many in that case, but that seems to be the principle, if it isn't bust don't fix it even if it seems crazy in today's terms.