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In a two-column document, I use the figure* environment to place a wide equation in a one-column format. It works fine, but the equation floats to the next page. What can I do to avoid this?

Ruben
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user42212
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  • It's a feature, you need to move the figure* earlier in your source file so it lands on the page you want. – David Carlisle Dec 13 '13 at 11:51
  • @DavidCarlisle Without looking it up in the documentation: is the figure* environment really intended for carrying a two-column spreading equation? – Benedikt Bauer Dec 13 '13 at 11:54
  • I put an equation inside the figure*, so that if I place it in somewhere else, the equation number will not be in a right order. – user42212 Dec 13 '13 at 11:56
  • @BenediktBauer it's as good as anything probably, if you are doing it a lot you could define a new float class but the issue is unchanged, – David Carlisle Dec 13 '13 at 12:22
  • You may naeed to say \addtocounter{equation}{2} before the figure* and \addtocounter{equation}{-2} after to correct that. It is not ideal but it is a hard limit in the latex float algorithm it can not place two-column floats on the same page (as it has already committed to the page height for that page.) – David Carlisle Dec 13 '13 at 12:25

1 Answers1

3

You need to move the figure* earlier in your source file so it lands on the page you want.

You may need to say 

\addtocounter{equation}{2}

(or some number instead of 2)

before the figure* and

\addtocounter{equation}{-2}

after to get the correct equation number relative to the final position.

It is not ideal but it is a hard limit in the latex float algorithm it can not place two-column floats on the same page (as it has already committed to the page height for that page.) Nor (except at the start of the two column region) does it offer a static non floating area into which you can put wide material, so some hand correction to the numbering is currently necessary.

David Carlisle
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