Also, what characters does the "\b" assertion encompass?

It doesn't encompass any characters. It is zero-width and matches the break between word and non-word characters. In your example, it is completely superfluous. You could just as easily have used /\w+/g instead.

If you want to include other characters, you can just use your own character class. You stated outright that you want to include a slash ("/"), but one of your examples, "4-5/16", indicates you'd like a dash too. So, try m![-/\w]+!g and see if that does the trick.

-sauoq
"My two cents aren't worth a dime.";