Word 2007 has equation capabilities

[dontdisturbmycircles]

This definitely is not amazingly interesting news , but I thought it was a good idea none the less and am glad to see that word finally has equation capabilities. Looks like they are fairly good too. Maybe some of you will find it interesting too.

http://blogs.msdn.com/microsoft_office_word/archive/2006/10/04/Equations-in-Word-2007.aspx

 

[PerennialII]

wonder what the "using tex standards" means in practice? Really?

 

[J77]

Word has alwyas had equation capabilities - just not very robust capabilities.

Way back, before discovering the joys of LaTex, I wrote my Masters thesis in word - I still feel fear when I think of the day all my equations turned to red crosses

 

[FredGarvin]

Yeah. That built in equation editor in word is pretty combersome, but it was all I had back in undergrad. It did a good job, but it was slow going.

 

[russ_watters]

Actually, my Aero prof wanted us to use tex back then ('96 or '97 for me), but we talked him into letting us use the MS equation editor...

 

[HallsofIvy]

Oh, you young kids! I wrote my dissertation on a manual typewriter!

 

[ranger]

I find the equation editor rather cumbersome. Mathtype is much better and easier to use, but nothing beats Latex.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

Oh, you young kids! I wrote my dissertation on a manual typewriter!

Haha :-). Hey, I used a typewriter once when I was around 5 years old. My mother got a typewriter and I used it to type a message to my father, I think he still has it.

 

[chroot]

MathType, which is the "full-featured" version of the minimalist equation editor built into Word, is actually pretty good. It can generate pretty nice LaTeX output, and I actually use it for large equations here on physicsforums.

- Warren

 

[Ouabache]

Word has always had equation capabilities ...
I wrote my Masters thesis in word - I still feel fear when I think of the day all my equations turned to red crosses.

I also wrote my MS thesis in earlier versions of MSWord and constructed quite a few equations with "Equation Editor". I think I was using Word95 or 97. I didn't find it cumbersome creating them. They always displayed properly (no red crosses)..

 

[J77]

Oh, you young kids! I wrote my dissertation on a manual typewriter!

I went to school pre-internet

 

[Kevin_spencer2]

- I think you'd better download a 'cracked' equation editor rather than believing in word editor, since Office-Windows isn't made thinking about mathematicians.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

Well there is quite a market for people whom could benefit from a built in equation editor that can compete with some of the better ones out there right now. Such as any student in University studying math, for instance. Although of course right now everyone uses some kinda TeX program (or nothing), if word could duplicate that kind of functionality I think it would be good.

Although I suppose it is true that you can just download a TeX editor atm. :P

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

What would the best program be for someone that wants to type up Algebra, Geometry and Calculus notes on the computer and then print them out for my notebook? I prefer to type my notes out because I don't like my handwriting.

I don't have any programming knowledge, other than web programming (HTML, some Java and DHTML).

I want to go through each section that I work on in my textbook and construct notes, including the equations, theorems and vocab so that I can have quick references.

Any suggestions? The word program looks like it would work for now (i'm not doing any maths that are complicated), but is it available yet?

Any suggestions?

 

[neurocomp2003]

u can convert MathType to LaTeX? ...Word doesn't like too many MathType eq'n in Word...takes like a good 10-20 sec to save once you go beyond 10-15 eq'ns

 

[marcusl]

Oh, you young kids! I wrote my dissertation on a manual typewriter!

I had an IBM Selectric for mine, which meant popping the "symbol" ball in and out 10 or 15 times per page; I rubbed on the equation and summation symbols from those transfer sheets. Anyone remember those?

 

[tony873004]

u can convert MathType to LaTeX? ...Word doesn't like too many MathType eq'n in Word...takes like a good 10-20 sec to save once you go beyond 10-15 eq'ns

Under Preferences > Translators you can choose to translate MathType into LaTex. Then when you highlight and copy your MathType equation, it puts the LaTex on your clipboard.

 

[robphy]

By the way, here is a free program from the makers of MathType:
http://www.dessci.com/en/products/texaide/
"Design Science TeXaide™ is a special version of our Equation Editor that generates TeX and LaTeX using MathType's translator technology. Whereas Equation Editor can be used with any application that supports OLE or can paste a graphic from the clipboard, TeXaide only generates TeX/LaTeX on the clipboard, where it can be pasted into any TeX/LaTeX system."

Certainly, a more natural interface would use handwriting recognition:
http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/natural-log/demo/
http://www.inftyproject.org/en/download.html (InftyEditor has a crude live handwritingRecognition-to-LaTeX.)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/tabletpc/educationpack/overview4.mspx (renders handwriting to a bitmap...but seems like it's only a step away from an Equation Editor object or LaTeX).
http://www.xthink.com/MathJournal2.html was supposed to have handwriting-to-LaTeX recognition... but I don't think that happened.

..at another level, I'd love to see a scanned-handwriting-to-LaTeX conversion. InftyReader can do scanned-typeset-equations-to-LaTeX. If one is able to convert to LaTeX, it seems like it shouldn't be too much more trouble to convert to [say] Maple or Mathematica.

By the way, at least since Word97, there has always been an Equation Editor, which is not installed by default.