MATH10001 Mathematical Workshop
Word Processing Mathematics
There are several ways to word process mathematics. Most maths lecturers use a
package called LaTeX. This produces professional looking documents and is used to
write journal papers and produce textbooks and lecture notes. If you want to find out
more about LaTeX there is an introductory course at
http://www.maths.manchester.ac.uk/~ahazel/courses_latex.html
Microsoft Word is familiar to most undergraduates and has an in-built Equation Editor
that can be used to produce mathematical notation. It is also relatively straight forward to
produce diagrams using Word. The instructions below are for Word 2007. Other versions
may have different commands.
Important: if your Word document is in Compatibility Mode you need to switch this off
before using the Equation Editor. To do this select Convert from the Office menu (top
left hand corner) and click OK.
Mathematical Equations
All versions of Word have an in-built Equation Editor. MathType is an additional piece of
software that has a wider scope that Equation Editor. If your version of Word has
MathType it will appear as one of the toolbar options. If you don’t have this available you
can still use the Equation Editor which is very similar. This can be found by selecting
Insert  Equation.
To show you how to insert a mathematical object we use the example:
 r sin x 

n 
 1 

n 1
 r sin(kx)
k 1
First select  from the Symbols menu followed by ( ) from the Bracket menu to get
 .
Next, insert a fraction from the Fraction menu. The parentheses expand automatically to
enclose the fraction:
 
 
 
Type r and select sin from the Function menu, followed by x. The Equation Editor
automatically sets r and x in italic type, automatically applies proper spacing according
the rules of mathematical typesetting.
 r sin x 




Next, move the insertion point down into the denominator slot by hitting the Tab key, or
clicking in it with the mouse, and type 1+. Add a superscript from the Script menu.
Select  from the Symbols menu and type n in the superscript.
Click to the left of the bracket and type =, then insert a square root (radical) template
from the Radical menu. Insert a summation template from the Large Operator menu.
The radical expands to enclose the summation. Complete the summation by clicking on
the boxes and inserting the required terms.
 r sin x 

n 
 1 

n 1
 r sin(kx)
k 1
When your equation is finished, simply click outside the equation box to insert the
equation into your document. Later, if you want to make changes, double-click on the
equation to automatically re-open the Equation Editor.
Diagrams
Diagrams can be selecting Insert  Shapes  New Drawing Canvas. This will provide
an area to create the drawing and a drawing toolbar.
Straight lines: click on the line icon in Insert Shapes, place the cursor where you wish
the line to start, left click and hold, drag the cursor to where you want the line to end and
release. To make sure the line is perfectly vertical or horizontal or at 45o, hold the Shift
key down as you do this.
Arrows and Axes: drawing an arrow is the same as drawing a straight line except you
use the arrow icon. You can modify the style of the arrow using the arrow style (multiple
arrows) icon.
Rectangles and squares: click on the rectangle icon, left click and drag the cursor to
form the desired rectangle. For a square, hold the Shift key down.
Ellipses and Circles: click on the oval icon, left click and drag cursor to form the ellipse.
For a circle hold the Shift key down.
Text: click on the text box icon (rectangle with the letter A and lines in), left click and
drag the box. Text can then be inserted in the box. This is a useful way to insert labels
on diagrams. The box can be dragged and dropped at any location.
Resizing: all shapes can be modified once drawn. First click on the object, then click
and hold, dragging the cursor to alter the shape.
Fill colours: any closed shape can be filled with colour. Select the shape and click on
the fill color (bucket of paint) icon.
Line colour and thickness: to alter the line colour click on the line color (paintbrush)
icon. To change the thickness, click on the line style (three lines) icon. To draw a dashed
line click on the dash style icon.
Ordering: later objects overlap earlier objects and can hide them. To alter the ordering
of objects use the Arrange menu.
Grouping: When your picture is completed you normally wish to lock its components
together so it becomes a single object and it’s easy to drag and drop. To do this select
all the objects by clicking and holding down the Shift key. Then choose Group from the
Arrange menu to lock them together. If you later want to modify your diagram you can
unlock the objects using Draw  Ungroup.
Exercise to be completed by Tuesday 4th October
Use Word to design a one page handout that could be given to a high school student to
explain an interesting piece of mathematics. You should include mathematical
expressions and at least one diagram in your handout.