Page 1 of 1

need simple math equation

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:50 pm
by FA1
If I want to insert a simple equation using a square root (the math special characters does not have a square root), do I need to use some kind of math software for that?

My alternative is to use just Word for this. I was trying to copy the equation from there, but that didn't work.

Edit: I was able to copy the square root symbol from TextEdit.

Posted: Thu Apr 05, 2007 11:00 pm
by Mart°n
You should be able to insert a simple square root sign by pressing Option and V (√) but that sign doesn’t contain the line above the following formula. To insert a real equation, you need some kind of equation editor. I’m don’t have Word installed on my Mac but copying the equation from there should work in theory (at least I think but I could be wrong on that).
Alternatives are:

Grapher
If you have installed Mac OS 10.4, there’s the application “Grapher” inside your Application › Utilities folder. You could enter a equation there (inside the equation field) could show some palettes (at the right side of the equation field, there’s a sum sign with a small down arrow, if you press this, you could open a equation palette). If your equation is fine, you could select it and copy it over to Mellel. It’s a free and fast alternative but the final equations doesn’t look as professional (nice) as the one from real equation editors.

LaTeXiT
A free GUI tool for creating LaTeX equations. You need LaTeXiT itself and some LaTeX package to make it work. Both things are free, the final equation look very nice but you have to learn some LaTeX syntax to produce your equations (some tutorials are available online).

MathMagix or MathType
Both tools are real equation editors but as they cost over $100, I don’t think that they are the solution for your problem

AppleWorks Equation Editor
If you have a copy of AppleWorks 6 for OS X, you also have the equation editor of AppleWorks with is a limited version of MathType. You could find it then in Applications › AppleWorks › Important AppleWorks Files* › Equation Editor. You could start the application, generate your equation and move it to Mellel via copy & paste.
* this part of the path is freely translated form the German version and may be named somewhat different in other languages.

As the equation editor of Word is somewhat similar to the one in AppleWorks, the copy & paste procedure may work here too. You could create your equation, press Command + A to select all inside the equation editor window and copy this content into a Mellel document.

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 3:54 pm
by nicka
Martin's info is as good as ever. Thanks for the Grapher suggestion -- I didn't know about it.

If Grapher isn't versatile enough (I can't see how to change the font, for example) one thing that might be worth knowing is that a demo version of MathType can be downloaded from http://www.dessci.com/en/products/matht ... rc=linkBox. It works as the fully-featured MathType for 30 days, then reverts to MathType Lite (assuming you don't pay for the full version) which is just the same as 'Equation Editor' which comes with MS Office.

As Martin said, the free alternatives include doing the equation in Mellel (ony feasible if your equations are quite simple) or installing LaTeX and using LaTeXiT. I get by with these, and don't use MathType or MathType Lite myself, but if you are used to Word it will be a good deal easier to install and use the MathType demo than LaTeXiT.

If I were considering buying a full-price equation editior, I'd lean towards MathMagic http://www.mathmagic.com/product/pe.html rather than MathType, by the way, since MathMagic is actively developed, and the developers answer email, neither of which seems to be the case with MathType these days. (According to Macupdate, MathType was last updated in June 2004; MathMagic's latest version came out last month.)

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:19 pm
by cyberbryce
Another thing to keep in mind when considering these tools, is that only PICT and WMF appear to be supported as vector graphics by Microsoft Word and RTF. This seems to be the case in Word 2007, as well, but correct me if I'm wrong. One of these days I'll clean up and post a script which post-processes Mellel-exported RTF to smuggle the PICT data in...

In my experience: the MathType staff are 2 for 2 in answering my e-mails... However, one of them was to inquire about the future of MathType after Microsoft abandons VB. I wonder if either MathMagic or MathType will have an AppleScript solution. Right now, scripting allows MathType to scan a Word document for PICT graphics and activate them as OLE objects so you can double-click on them to edit them (and, I think, to correct errors induced by differences in cross-platform fonts and character encodings). With Mellel, I need to drag the graphics to an RTFD document in TextEdit before I can subsequently edit it again in MathType.

Anyhow, all of this is driven by the need to collaborate with Word users...

Best,
Bryce

Posted: Fri Apr 06, 2007 10:51 pm
by nicka
Another thing to keep in mind when considering these tools, is that only PICT and WMF appear to be supported as vector graphics by Microsoft Word and RTF.
I use EPS with a bitmapped preview in Word 2004.

In my experience: the MathType staff are 2 for 2 in answering my e-mails...
That's good.

Have you asked them why the Mac version hasn't been updated for three years?

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 4:36 am
by cyberbryce
nicka wrote:I use EPS with a bitmapped preview in Word 2004.


Is this a format MathMagic can create and re-edit?

--Bryce

Posted: Sat Apr 07, 2007 9:52 am
by nicka
Is this a format MathMagic can create and re-edit?
Yes to both. The only limitation I can see is that you can't have coloured eps unless you upgrade to MathMagic Pro (very expensive). The bitmapped preview is coloured, though.

As I said, I don't use this set up, since I use LaTeXiT or do equations in text in Mellel, but I have just checked using the MathMagic demo and it seems to work fine. From Word you have to print to ps then convert the ps to pdf in order to get the equation in a pdf in vector format.

No such gyrations are necessary with Mellel, of course (bringing this thread back on topic...).

Re: MathType

Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2008 1:03 pm
by drandall
I'd appreciate an update on any plans to support MathType. This is especially interesting now that 2.5 is out with cross-references.

What I mean by "support MathType:" Make it possible to copy a MathType equation out of Mellel, paste it back into MathType (under Mac OS X), and edit it there.

I could ask for more, but this much would be enough.