Operation Manual
Isolated and unpaired brackets
Math expects that for every opening bracket there will be a closing one. If you forget a bracket,
Math places an inverted question mark by the corresponding bracket. This disappears when all
brackets are matched. Sometimes forgetting a bracket causes the whole structure of the formula to
fall apart.
However, an unpaired bracket is sometimes necessary. In such cases, you have two options:
• With non-scalable brackets, use a preceding backslash \ to indicate that the following
character should not be regarded as a bracket but as a literal character. So the half-open
interval [a;b[ is represented by \[a;b\[ — try comparing this with [a;b[
• Scalable brackets can also be unpaired. The same half-open interval is represented by
left [ a; b right [
For scalable brackets, you can also use the command none to replace a non-existent paired
bracket.
∣
x
∣
=
{
x for x≥0
−x for x<0
can be represented by
abs x = left lbrace stack {x "for" x >= 0 # -x "for" x < 0} right none
Recognizing functions in Math
In the basic installation, Math outputs variables in italics. If you enter a function, Math usually
recognizes it and outputs it normally (a list of recognized functions is available in the Math Guide).
If Math fails to recognize a function, you can inform Math about it. Enter the markup code func
before the function, and the following text will be recognized as a function.
Some functions recognized by Math need to be followed by numbers or variables. If these are
missing, Math puts an inverted red question mark ¿ in their place, which you can only remove by
correcting the formula: enter a variable or a number, or a pair of empty braces { } as a placeholder.
Tip
You can navigate through errors using F3 and Shift+F3.
Equations over more than one line
Suppose you want to make an equation covering more than one line, for example:
x=3
y=1
Your first reaction would be to simply press the Enter key. However, if you press the Enter key,
although the markup goes to a new line, the resulting equation does not. You must type the
newline command explicitly. This is illustrated in the table below.
Markup Result
x = 3
y = 1
x=3 y=1
x = 3 newline
y = 1
x=3
y=1
Chapter 9 Getting Started with Math | 269