Sa Fracisco State Uiversity Michael Bar Typig Math i Microsoft Word I. Itroductio There are at least two ways to type professioally lookig mathematical objects i Microsoft Word. Older versios of MS Word used primarily Microsoft Equatio 3.0 as the mai tool for typig equatios. With Microsoft Office 007, ew Equatio Tools were itroduced, ad gradually MS office reduced the support for the old equatio editor. I MS Office 013, the old MS Equatio 3.0 is still available, but does ot show up with typical istallatio. The ext screeshot shows both equatio editors: 1. Microsoft Equatio 3.0 (the old equatio editor),. New equatio editor. New Equatio Tools Old Equatio Editor To access the old equatio editor, choose the Isert tab o the ma meu ad click Object. From the Object dialog select Microsoft Equatio 3.0, ad click OK. If you have a recet versio of MS Word, you may ot be able to see Microsoft Equatio 3.0 from the Object meu, ad it may require custom istallatio. You ca also click o equatio object that was typed earlier, ad edit it. To access the ew Equatio Tools, either choose the Isert tab o the mai meu, ad click o the π symbol, or press Alt=, ad a equatio editor object will ope. 1
Which Equatio Editor should you use? Obviously, if you do t have access to the old equatio editor (Microsoft Equatio 3.0), the oly choice you have is to use the ew Equatio Tools. The old equatio editor is easy to use, ad with oly a few shortcut commads (described i the ext sectio), you ca create most of the mathematical objects eeded for your udergraduate courses. The ew Equatio Tools has much more symbols available, so virtually ay mathematical object you ca fid i scietific jourals ca be created with the ew editor. The dowside is that with the ew editor, there are more shortcuts to lear, before you ca type your mathematical objects fast. Both the old ad the ew equatio editors have template of meu through which you ca scroll ad choose object with a mouse. However, the real stregth of these editors is revealed oce you lear the shortcuts, ad ca type mathematical objects with oly usig the keyboard. My advice is, if my course is the oly time you ll eed to type mathematical objects i your life, ad if you ca use the old equatio editor, the use it. However, if you may eed to write papers with mathematical objects i them, ad if there is a chase that you pursue graduate degree, the ivest some effort i learig to use the ew Equatio Tools. I the followig sectios, I will provide brief istructios for both the old ad the ew equatio editors. II. Istructios for Old Equatio Editor (Microsoft Equatio 3.0). 1. Opeig the Equatio Editor To access the old equatio editor, choose the Isert tab o the ma meu ad click Object. From the Object dialog select Microsoft Equatio 3.0, ad click OK. If you have a recet versio of MS Word, you may ot be able to see Microsoft Equatio 3.0 from the Object meu, ad it may require custom istallatio. You ca also click o equatio object that was typed earlier, ad edit it.. Typig equatios. The previous step opes a widow for the mathematical object, ad also displays the Equatio Editor meu, as show below: Equatio Editor meu Widow for the mathematical object
Usig the meu, you ca isert Greek letters, fractios, parethesis, ad other mathematical symbols i your math object. Oce you are fiished, to exit the math widow you ca press the Esc butto or click with a mouse aywhere outside the math widow. 3. Useful Shortcuts The Equatio Editor has some useful shortcuts that allow you to type the math objects faster. The shortcuts are very ituitive ad easy to remember. 1. Ctrl + g gives you the Greek letters. For example, Ctrl + g ad a gives you (alpha), Ctrl + g ad b gives (beta), ad so o.. Ctrl + f creates the fractio object. For example 4 3. 3. Ctrl + r creates the root, for example i 4. 4. Ctrl + h allows you to isert a superscript ad Ctrl + l allows you to isert a subscript. To remember those shortcuts, thik of h as stadig for high (superscript) ad l stadig for low (subscript). For example, to create x you eed to type x, the Ctrl+h ad the. To create A t you eed to type A the Ctrl+l ad the t. 5. Ctrl + j allows you to isert both superscript ad subscript, as i K t. There are may more shortcuts that you ca use as you progress. They ca be foud i the Help meu for the Equatio Editor (just click o Help oce you eter the Equatio Editor, ad the search for shortcut keys ). As a exercise, type the followig math objects. 1 x 1 1. e dx 1. lx y l( x) l( y) 3. k t 1 1 1 sat 1 III. Istructios for New Equatio Tools 1. Opeig the Equatio Editor To access the ew equatio editor, either choose the Isert tab o the mai meu, ad click o the π symbol, or press Alt=, ad a equatio editor object will ope.. Typig equatios. Oce you pressed the Alt=, a equatio widow will appear: At the top of the page, you will see the Equatio Tools templates: 3
You ca use the mouse to choose the symbols ad structures. For example, regular fractio template, power, itegral, summatio, etc., as show below: You ca move withi the template usig the arrow keys. As a exercise, type the followig equatios, which were created with a old ad the ew equatio editor for compariso: Old Equatio Editor 1 e 1 x dx 1 New Equatio Tools 1 1 l x y l( x) l( y) k t 1 l l l 1 1 sat 1 1 1 1 3. Useful Shortcuts The true power of the ew equatio editor is that it allows typig a huge variety of mathematical objects ad symbols usig shortcut codes. 1. Greek letters ad mathematical symbols ca be typed usig the backslash \ key followed by space key. Let [SP] deote the space key. For example, \alpha[sp] gives, \ifty[sp] gives, \sqrt[sp]x[sp] gives, etc. I order to use these code ames efficietly, oe eeds to kow the Greek alphabet, ad the meaig of various mathematical symbols.. Subscripts ad superscripts are obtaied usig the uderscore _ key ad the caret ^ key. For example, x^[sp] gives, A_(t+1)[SP] gives, K_(t+1)^\theta[SP][SP] gives ad \it_a^b[sp] gives. 3. Fractios ca be typed with the forward slash. For example 3/4[SP] gives, ad (a+b)/(c+d)[sp] gives. Notice that whe you poit with the mouse to ay symbol, the ame of the symbol ad its shortcut code shows up, for example: 4
This is oe way to lear some of the shortcuts i the ew Equatio Tools. Comprehesive list with may shortcuts used i the ew equatio editor are available at: http://www.iu.edu/~mathiho/useful/equatio%0editor%0shortcut%0commads.pdf ad http://www.chem.mtu.edu/~tbco/cm416/equatioeditor_mai.pdf. 4. Breakig log equatios ito parts Suppose that you have a log equatio, or several mathematical steps of solvig a problem, for example: 1 0.5 0.5 0.5 3 0.5 8 3 3 The above ca be writte as: 1 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 8 3 3 3 I order to break the log equatio ito several parts, right click with the mouse at the poit where you wish to break the equatio ad choose Isert Maual Break. The use the Tab key to alig the equatios as show above. 5. Aligig systems of equatios. Suppose you have the system of equatios: x 10y 15 3z 16 5 7 Click o the right edge of the ay of the equatios, ad select Justificatio, Ceter as a Group. The Select the = sig, right click with the mouse ad choose Alig at this Character. You eed to do this i every equatio. The result is: x 10y 15 3z 16 5 7 All the above equatios are aliged at =. 5