Math Guide

Entering a formula
The equation editor uses a markup language to represent formulas. For
example, %beta creates the Greek character beta (

). This markup is
designed to read similar to English whenever possible. For example, a
over b produces a fraction:
a
b
.
You can enter a formula in three ways:
• Select a symbol from the Elements window.
• Right-click on the equation editor and select the symbol from the
context menu.
• Type markup in the equation editor.
The context menu and the Elements window insert the markup
corresponding to a symbol. This provides a convenient way to learn the
OOo Math markup.
Note
Click on the document body to exit the formula editor.
Double-click on a formula to enter the formula editor again.
The Elements window
The simplest method for entering a formula is the Elements window,
shown in Figure 1.
Figure 2: Symbols are divided into categories
Note
In OOo Math before V3.2.0, the Elements window was called the
Selection window.
Entering a formula 5