Math Authoring Tips

Lotus WordPro: Best Math Authoring Software Most math teachers who create computer generated documents these days are using MSWord as their word processor, in conjunction with MathType software, to create equations, math symbols and expressions. Problem is that MathType is what’s known as “ server ” software. When we need to create an equation, we click MathType in the menu and a new window opens in which to construct the equation. Once done, we import it into the Word document. If it needs editing, we double click it, return to the MathType Window, edit it, then re-import the updated version into the Word document in the other window. It’s more work than it’s worth. Lotus WordPro, (formerly AmiPro) designed specifically for engineers by IBM, is the word processor of choice for those of us who create mathematical texts. It’s included in the Lotus Smart Suite 9.8 software bundle (IBM’s equivalent of MS-Office), listed on e-Bay for $17 -$25, or it can be bought separately as WordPro (by IBM). (I built the-mathroom.ca with this program) Two of its many advantages are the built in equation editor and the WYSIWYG display (What You See Is What You Get). Because the screen display is identical to the printed page, there is no need to Print Preview. This feature simplifies our formating tasks since, again, we don’t have to switch windows to go from screen display to print preview. What you see on your document screen is what you’ll see on the printed page. The equation editor is superbly designed as well. To create an equation in a document, under the main menu item “Create”, we click “Equation”, to access an equation toolbar with math forms and symbols, with which to build the equation within the open document like this. 5x + 3 7 = 2x -1 4 To edit the equation, we simply click it and the equation editing toolbar reappears. These equations can be saved as items in the “glossary” feature, so frequently used symbols such as , or can be entered that way. Another way to o r save time is to setup the “SmartCorrect” feature (autocorrect in MSWord) to change a given set of keystrokes into a math symbol. When I need a minus sign ( – ), I type SPACE mn SPACE and the autocorrect enters a minus sign . Another major advantage of the WordPro software is the floating, collapsable, all-inclusive dialog boxes, that give us access to the formatting features for all aspects of our document; be it a table, diagram, equation frame, page or text font. And we get to see our changes as we apply them. We don’t have to click OK to close the dialog box in order to see the changes we’ve made. collapsed dialog box The only disadvantage of the program is that the majority of other humans don’t know about it and therefore don’t use it. Thus, in order to share Lotus WordPro documents, we have to convert them to a different format. This is easily done (for print or screen documents) with a pdf converter such as PrimoPDF or pdfFactoryPro, both of which can be downloaded free from the net. If the documents are to be uploaded to a website, there is a built in HTML converter and the process is as easy as saving a document to a folder on your hard drive. Math-Text-Tech-Tips Create Math Documents with Ease visit the MathRoom at www.the-mathroom.ca © MathRoom Learning Service 2010 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.comLotus Menus, ToolBars and Dialog Boxes ... .......... Math Symbols from the Keyboard With most true fonts, such as Times New Roman, Arial, Tacoma, etc. we can enter certain math symbols using “copy and paste” from the the character map. However, we can do the same thing using the ALT key and the Number Pad. If we hold down the ALT key and enter the correct code for the symbol, we can easily enter these math forms: ¢ (cents) ALT 0162 μ (mu) ALT 0181 ¼ (one quarter) ALT 0188 ¾ (three quarters) ALT 0190 ½ (one half) ALT 0189 ± (plus or minus) ALT 0177 ° (degree sign) ALT 0176 – (real minus sign) ALT 0150 ÷ (division) ALT 0247 · (multiplication) ALT 0183 × (multiplication) ALT 0215 x ³ (cubed) enter x, then ALT 0179 x ² (squared) enter x, then ALT 0178 Math Form Key Strokes need more info? contact Tammy the Tutor Math-Text-Tech-Tips Create Math Documents with Ease visit the MathRoom at www.the-mathroom.ca © MathRoom Learning Service 2010 PDF created with pdfFactory Pro trial version www.pdffactory.com