PowerPoint
Add formulae
Course contents
• Overview: Typing math formulae
• Lesson1: Type a simple formula
• Lesson2: Type a complex formula
Add formulae
Overview: Typing math formulae
3

n 1
n
2
When you prepare slides for
an engineering course, you
need to display mathematic
formulae.
This course will tell you how
to type such formulae in
PowerPoint.
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Course goal
• Put a formula in you presentation.
• Navigate and edit a formula.
• Create a simple formula on a single line or a
complex multi-lines formula.
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Lesson 1
Simple formulae
Insert a formula
Use the Insert menu to add
a formula to your
PowerPoint presentation.
1. Click on the Insert menu
and select Object.
2. Select Microsoft
Equation and click OK.
Inserting a formula via the
Insert menu.
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Enter the Equation Editor
The window that opens has
some symbols at the top and
a large equation space at the
bottom.
You type the equation by
selecting symbols from the
menus at the top and typing
other characters on the
keyboard.
The Equation Editor.
The equation goes into the
dash box.
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Your first equation
On the keyboard you type
the characters: m, =, 3, x, and 7.
Notice how the equation
editor adds some space
around the equal sign and
minus sign.
A simple equation.
The Equation Editor tries to
follow the typographic rules
for presenting mathematics.
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You are done
When you are done with
typing your equation, you
exit the Equation Editor and
return to the PowerPoint
presentation.
1. Click on the File menu.
2. Select Exit and Return
to Presentation.
Exit the equation editor.
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PowerPoint and the Equations
It does not look too good.
m  3x  7
Equations do not integrate
well with PowerPoint: they
are not part of the text, they
are a separate object.
Size is too big, color is
wrong.
You need to fix this.
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You need to change the color.
The equation appears with a
default color black, this is
probably not the color used
for your presentation.
1. With the mouse, Right
Click on the equation.
Edit the equation color.
2. Select Show Picture
Toolbar.
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Use the Recolor Picture tool.
On the Show Picture
Toolbar, use the Recolor
Picture tool.
The Recolor Picture tool is
started when you click on
the icon
Use Recolor Picture.
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Use the Recolor Picture tool.
In the Recolor Picture tool
select the new color you
want to apply: for example
change black into white.
Click OK when you are done.
Use Recolor Picture.
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Resize and move the equation
The equation is of the right
color.
m  3x  7
Use the round handles to
move and resize the
equation like any object in
PowerPoint.
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Resize and move the equation
Adjust the size of the equation to be close to the
size of the text.
If the equations stands alone on a line, it should be
centered.
m  3x  7
You can also use the arrows to adjust the position of the
equation.
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Add symbols to the equation.
The top line in the menu of
the Equation Editors give
access to some symbols like
Greek letters and others.
To add a σ click on the menu
that represents Greek
letters and select the
character σ.
Use Greek letters and other
symbols.
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Modify a symbol.
The menu
is special: it
does not add a symbol, but it
modifies the symbol just
before the cursor.
1. Position the cursor
(blinking bar) just after
the symbol you want to
modify.
Add a modifier to a symbol.
2. Select the modifier from
the menu
.
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Type a function.
Mathematic symbols are type
in italics like x.
Name of a function are typed
in Roman like Cos(x) or
Factoriel(2).
Function names are in Roman.
The Equation Editor knows
how to type Cos, but you
need to modify Factoriel by
yourself.
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Type a function.
To type Factoriel in Roman:
1. Highlight the word
Factoriel.
2. Click on the Style menu.
Function names are in Roman.
3. Select the option Text.
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Suggestion for practice
Prepare one page presentation and type the
following equations:
x  3y
Cos(0)  1
lim f ( x) x    0
( x  E ) x  2
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Lesson 2
Complex formulae
Complex formulae
Not all formula can fit on a
single line. Mathematics
need superscripts,
subscripts, array of values
for a matrix, etc.
The second line of menu
give access to complex
symbols.
A complex formula.
Their size varies with the
equation.
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Build step by step
You know how to type m 
Select the quotient from the
menu
You have an horizontal bar
with two placeholders.
A complex formula.
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Build step by step
The cursor is in the top
placeholder.
Select symbol Σ from the
menu
There are 3 placeholders
with the symbol Σ.
A complex formula.
Note that the fraction bar
has extended.
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Build step by step
Type m.
Select the subscript from the
menu
A complex formula.
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Build step by step
Fill in the remaining
placeholders.
Your equation is completed.
A complex formula.
Your can use the key Tab to
skip from one placeholder
to the next one.
Placeholders are in natural
order, the reading order of
the equation: sum of the m i
for i equal one to n divided
by n.
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What sum symbol to choose
There are different type of sum symbols:
n
• With the placeholders for the
boundaries above and below the Σ
symbol;
m
• With the placeholder for the
boundaries on the right of the Σ
symbol.

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i
i 1
n
m
i 1 i
What sum symbol to choose
You use the type above/below
n
m
m
i 1
i
n
for display presentation:
The equation is isolated on the center of a line.
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What sum symbol to choose
You use the type on the right
m  i 1 mi n
n
for in-line presentation: the equation is part of
the line of text.
The equation is not as high as the display
presentation; it integrates with the text.
Note the fraction bar that you get from the
menu
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Vectors and matrix
Drawing matrix is easy with
the Equation Editor.
You need big delimiters, like
parenthesis, brackets, etc.
And inside the delimiters, a
table of elements.
A 2 by 2 matrix.
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Build step by step
The menu
gives you a
choice of delimiters. These
delimiters will adapt their
size according to the
contents.
1. Click on the menu
.
2. Select the parenthesis ( ).
A 2 by 2 matrix.
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Build step by step
The menu
gives you a
choice of tables of one or
two dimensions.
1. Click on the menu
.
2. Select two by two table.
A 2 by 2 matrix.
3. Fill in the placeholders,
you can use the Tab key
to jump from one
placeholder to the next
one.
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Managing space
The Equation Editor does
not always do a good job at
managing the space between
symbols.
Lets consider the equation
Q    S v
Spacing is incorrect at all the
places with a red mark.
Correcting the spacing.
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Build step by step
The menu
gives you
access to a choice of spaces
that you can use in your
equations.
1. Move the cursor where
you want to add some
space.
Correcting the spacing.
2. Select the space you want
to add from the menu
The marks for extra spacing
will not show on the final
equation.
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Suggestion for practice
Prepare one page presentation and type the
following equations:
 2 Sl 

   m 1 
 3 IL 
l
3
tg
Q    S v
where ω represents…
The speed v can be represented as
for all H and h.
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
2
v  2 g (H  h)