# Keep long footnote on same page

I am using a footnote in the caption of a table that is rather lengthy, causing latex to split it and put some of it on the next page. Here is a MWE:

\documentclass[a4paper,11pt,oneside,fleqn]{scrbook}
\usepackage[ngerman,english]{babel} % language listed last is default setting
\usepackage[utf8x]{inputenc}

\usepackage{lipsum}

%\interfootnotelinepenalty=10000

\begin{document}

\lipsum[1]
\lipsum[2]
\lipsum[3]
\footnote{The first footnote on this page.}
\lipsum[4]

\begin{table}[h!] \centering
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|} \hline
\textbf{Interaction} & \textbf{Mediator} & \textbf{couples to} & \textbf{Strength} & \textbf{Range} \\ \hline \hline
Strong & gluon ($g$) & colour charge $C$ & 1 & $10^{-15} \; \mathrm{m}$ \\ \hline
Electromagnetism & photon ($\gamma$) & electric charge $Q$ & $10^{-2}$ & $\infty \; (1/r^2)$ \\ \hline
Weak & $W^{\pm}$, $Z^0$ & weak isospin $T_3$ & $10^{-5}$ & $10^{-18} \; \mathrm{m}$ \\ \hline
Gravitation & graviton ($G$) & mass $m$ & $10^{-39}$ & $\infty \; (1/r^2)$ \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{The four fundamental interactions. Relative interaction strengths{\protect\footnotemark} have been normalised with respect to the strong interaction.}
\label{FundamentalInteractions}
\end{table}

\footnotetext{The values provided are approximate and serve only as a coarse comparison. The true value of the coupling constant for each interaction depends on the length scale being considered.}

\lipsum[5]
\lipsum[6]

\end{document}


I am aware that \interfoonotepenalty=10000 can be used to prevent the footnote from being split across pages. However, this moves the entire footnote to the next page. I would like to prevent the splitting AND have the footnote appear on the same page. I would also like to keep the geometry of the page constant, e.g. the page length, etc. What I want is simply for latex to reserve more room for footnotes if it is needed. I also came across the command \dimen\footins which I think is doing what I'm looking for, but it didn't work for me (although this might just be because I don't know how to use it properly: I've tried adding \dimen\footins{20in} to the preamble).

• – cfr Mar 22 '15 at 23:43
• To be honest I'd rather just use a regular table and have the footnote at the bottom of the page. The linked page is the one I've already had a look at. But how do I use \dimen\footins?? I've added \dimen\footins{20in} \raggedbottom \addtolength{\topskip}{0pt plus 10pt} to the preamble, but I just get an error saying "! Missing number, treated as zero." – Sebastian_92 Mar 22 '15 at 23:44
• \dimen\footins 20in or whatever. However, with your example, all I can get it to do is move the footnote entirely to the next page. That is, it does figure out a page break earlier - before the footnote. – cfr Mar 22 '15 at 23:52
• That shouldn't be a footnote, but part of the caption. – egreg Mar 22 '15 at 23:58
• If you really want the table to be where you put it and nowhere else, then it is going to be impossible for LaTeX to handle this in a way which meets all of your desiderata. You can force the footnote all onto that page, but this will force the table to float to the next page. – cfr Mar 23 '15 at 0:01

## 1 Answer

this may be a solution

\skip\footins=-\bigskipamount % or something else
\begin{table}[h!] \centering
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|} \hline
\textbf{Interaction} & \textbf{Mediator} & \textbf{couples to} & \textbf{Strength} & \textbf{Range} \\ \hline \hline
Strong & gluon ($g$) & colour charge $C$ & 1 & $10^{-15} \; \mathrm{m}$ \\ \hline
Electromagnetism & photon ($\gamma$) & electric charge $Q$ & $10^{-2}$ & $\infty \; (1/r^2)$ \\ \hline
Weak & $W^{\pm}$, $Z^0$ & weak isospin $T_3$ & $10^{-5}$ & $10^{-18} \; \mathrm{m}$ \\ \hline
Gravitation & graviton ($G$) & mass $m$ & $10^{-39}$ & $\infty \; (1/r^2)$ \\ \hline
\end{tabular}
\caption{The four fundamental interactions. Relative interaction strengths{\protect\footnotemark} have been normalised with respect to the strong interaction.}
\label{FundamentalInteractions}
\end{table}
\skip\footins=\bigskipamount


• Thank you, this works just fine. Nonetheless I am still interested in a general solution that simply tells latex to push as much text onto the next page as is necessary in order to fit all footnotes on their corresponding pages. – Sebastian_92 Mar 23 '15 at 0:52