Formatting – How to Manage Lower Indices in Numerator of Fractions

Question

I was wondering if it was possible to lower the exponent on a variable in the numerator or a fraction (like the one in the image below) to make it consistent with the height of one in the denominator. What is the best way to do this?

Answer 1

TeX uses the “cramped” style in denominators, but the normal style in numerators. Use \cramped, available with mathtools.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{mathtools}

\newcommand{\crampedfrac}[2]{\frac{\cramped{#1}}{#2}}

\begin{document}

\[
\frac{(p^{x_j+1})}{(p^{x_j+1})}\crampedfrac{(p^{x_j+1})}{(p^{x_j+1})}
\]

\end{document}