Documentation/OOoAuthors User Manual/Getting Started/Getting Started with Math

Getting Started with OpenOffice.org 2.x

Chapter 11: Getting Started with Math

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• Entering a formula
• Customizations
• Formula layout
• Common problem areas

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This is Chapter 11 of Getting Started with OpenOffice.org 2.x (Third edition), produced by the OOoAuthors group. A PDF of this chapter is available from the OOoAuthors Guides page at OpenOffice.org.

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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.

Note

The equation editor is for writing equations in symbolic form (as in equation 1). If you want to evaluate a numeric value, see the Calc Guide.

inline:Object52.png

(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 window appears. You will also see a small box (with a gray border) in your document, where the formula will be displayed.

inline:Frame1.png

The equation editor uses a markup language to represent formulas. For example, %beta creates the Greek character beta ( inline:Object57.png ). This markup is designed to read similar to English whenever possible. For example, a over b produces a fraction: inline:Object16.png .