User's Manual

Introduction
Introduction
OpenOffice.org (OOo) has a component for mathematical equations. It is most commonly
used as an equation editor for text documents, but it can also be used with other types of
documents or stand-alone. When used inside Writer, the equation is treated as an object
inside the text document.
Important note: The equation editor is for writing equations in symbolic form (as in equation 1).
If you want to evaluate a numeric value, this is not the chapter you want. See the Calc guide.
df x
dx
=ln xtan
−1
x
2

(1)
Getting started
To insert an equation, go to Insert > Object > Formula.
The equation editor opens at the bottom of the screen, and the floating Selection toolbox
appears. You will also see a small box (with a gray border) in your document, where the
formula will be displayed.
Figure 1. Writer document showing Equation Editor , Selection toolbar, and location of resulting equation.
Math Objects 1