Create Equations with Mathematical and Scientific Expressions

Brightspace offers four different options for creating math, physics, chemistry, and other kinds of science content. All can be found using the Graphical Equation tool. 

What Are MathML Equations

MathML stands for Mathematical Markup Language. It is a type of coding that caters specifically to math. According to the World Wide Web Consortium,

“MathML attempts to capture something of the meaning behind equations rather than concentrating entirely on how they are going to be formatted out on the screen" (From the W3C website, What is MAthML(opens in new tab)).

Add MathML Encoding

The MathML encoder requires users to know how to use XML.

Step 1

If you do not see the Graphical Equation icon, select the Show All Components button (the ellipses icon at the far right).

Step 2

Select the Actions Menu icon next to the Graphical Equation tool.

Step 3

Select MathML equation from the list.

Step 4

In the Insert Equation field, add your XML code.

Step 5

To see a preview of your equation, select Generate a preview.

Step 6

Select Insert to add your equation to the HTML editor.

Step 7

When you are finished, select the Publish (or Update) button to save your work.

What Are LaTex Equations?

LaTex stands for Lamport TeX. It is a system that was designed for preparing scientific documents, although it also acts as a writing tool for mathematicians and computer scientists and can be used to create a variety of different types of publications.

According to the LaTeX project,

LaTex encourages authors not to worry too much about the appearance of their documents but to concentrate on getting the right content (from the LaTeX Project website (opens in new tab)).

Add LaTeX Encoding

The LaTeX tool requires that you use markup tags to define the general structure of your equation. There is a bit of a learning curve, but it can be an efficient method once you get the hang of it.

Step 1

Select the Show All Components button (the ellipses icon).

Step 2

Select the Actions Menu icon next to the Graphical Equation tool.

Step 3

From the menu, select LaTeX equation from the list.

Step 4

In the field that opens, add your LaTex commands.

Step 5

To open a list of the commands you can use, select Which LaTeX commands are supported.

Step 6

Select Insert to add your equation to the HTML editor.

Step 7

When you are finished, select the Publish (or Update) button to save your work.

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Graphical and Chemistry Equations

The Graphical Equation tool is a visual editor that allows you to create mathematical and chemical expressions using either your keyboard or a set of icons. This tool is good for new users and does most of the formatting work for you. To access it, select the Equation button on the toolbar and then select Graphical Equations.

In the open window, you can select from any of the 10 tabs to build your expression. If you select Graphical Equation from the Equation button, see Tab 1A below, and if you select Chemistry Equation, see Tab 1B. Tabs 2-10 are the same either way.

If you cannot find an icon, select any of the Expand arrows to open a menu with more options.

Tab 1A

General Equations

This tab allows you to add a template for building equations and includes editing functions.

Includes

• Fractions
• Super and subscripts
• Dynamic parentheses and other groupings
• Binary operations
• Comparisons
• Empty sets, infinity, and pi
• Copy, cut, paste, undo, and redo
• Format font
• Font family and size
• Right to left or Arabic ligature

Tab 1B

Chemistry Equations

This tab allows you to add a template specific to building chemistry equations.

Select the Expand button to open a periodic table. Choose any element in the table to add it to your equation.

Tab 2

Symbols

This tab gives you access to various symbols, some of which are available on your keyboard.

Includes

• Negation operator
• Plus, minus, forward slash, and other basic math symbols
• Pi, infinity, empty site, and other algebraic symbols
• Equal signs
• Greater than, less than, and other comparison symbols
• Set theory symbols
• Logic symbols
• Geometry symbols
• Circled symbols

Tab 3

Arrows

This tab allows you to insert various arrow types into your expression.

Includes

• Right and left-facing arrows, with and without bars
• Ellipses
• Dashes
• Arrows over, under, and between script
• Vector, arrow, and bar accents

Tab 4

Greek, Latin, and Arabic Characters

This tab allows you to add a variety of  Greek, Latin, Arabic, and chemistry characters and symbols.

Includes

• Greek letters
• Double-struck capital letters
• Fraktur capitals
• Script capitals
• Special characters
• Arabic numerals
• Chemical elements

Tab 5

Matrices and Basic Math Operations

Use this tab to build and format matrices and to set up simple math equations.

Includes

• Create matrices with bars, brackets, and parentheses
• Create rows and columns with bars, brackets, and parentheses
• Add curly brackets and align equations
• Add ellipses
• Stack characters for basic math (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) operations

Tab 6

Scripts and Layout

This tab provides functions for adding scripts or layouts to your equation.

Includes

• Fractions
• Roots
• Super and subscripts
• Positioning and sizing for elements above and under one another
• Under and over scripts with braces
• Big operator layouts
• Digit, thinner, and backspaces

Tab 7

Decorations

This tab allows you to add fences, such as brackets and vertical bars around text fields.

Includes

• Parentheses, brackets, and vertical lines
• Top and bottom parentheses and brackets
• Accents
• Enclosures
• Strike throughs

Tab 8

Big Operations Tab

This tab includes big operator notations.

Includes

• Summations
• Products
• Scripts
• Unions

Tab 9

Calculus Equations

Add a template for building calculus equations.

Includes

• Integrals
• Differentials and derivatives
• Limits
• Vector calculus
• Trigonometry

Tab 10

Contextual Settings

By default, the contextual tab is empty until you need it.

When you place your cursor somewhere in an expression with extra settings, those settings will appear in the contextual tab. For example, when you create a matrix and place your cursor somewhere in that matrix, you will get options in the contextual tab to add lines, alignment, spacing, and other formatting to your table.

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