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One issue everyone has with the new Equation Editor, however, is the limited ability to change the font typeface. The default that comes with word, Cambria Math, is nice but doesn’t suit everyone’s needs. If you’re typesetting a document with a font other than Cambria, then it looks a little weird to have your equations in a different font. Download the Cambria free font. Detailed information on the Cambria font: license; glyphs; specimens; for OS: Windows, Mac, Linux; for programs: Microsoft Word. Double-click the font in the Finder, then click Install Font in the font preview window that opens. After your Mac validates the font and opens the Font Book app, the font is installed and available for use.
Fonts for Math
Fonts
The following Unicode fonts include a comprehensive set of mathematical characters and are free for academic use.
Windows/Macintosh
- Windows – Arial Unicode MS, Cambria Math (Vista+)
- Macintosh OS X – Apple Symbols, Lucida Grade
Cambria Math Font For Mac
Freeware Fonts
- STIX Fonts – OTF freeware font
Browser Test
Without MathML
The following test is just a test to see if your computer has a font with complex symbols. It is NOT a MathML test. If the 'Text Version' matches the 'Graphic Version', your computer has a font with mathetical symbols installed.
Cambria Math Font For Mac
| Graphic | |
|---|---|
| Text | ∀OS (year(OS) ≥ 2001 | ∃Font ∋ (∛, ∬♁∰⦖,≈)) |
MathML/MathJax
The following tests whether your broswer supports MathML. See the MathML section for information and links about MathML.
| Graphic | |
|---|---|
| Text |
Inserting Symbols
Windows
Use the Windows Character Map to insert mathematical symbols.
- Switch to a large Unicode font like Arial Unicode MS then scroll down to the appropriate script block.
- This tool may not function with some older programs which do not support Unicode input.
Macintosh
Use the Macintosh Symbols & Emoji Character Viewer to insert mathematical symbols.
- Click the Math Symbols and or other blocks on the right to view symbols.
- This tool may not function with some older programs which do not support Unicode input.
Web Development
Declare Unicode
No matter which method you use to create the document, the HTML page must be declared as a Unicode page with the following meta-tag.
<head>
<meta http-equiv='Content-Type'>
…
</head>
Unicode Numeric Entity Codes
You can substitute numeric
entity codes for the mathematical symbols. For example:
- square root – √(&#radic;)
- cube root – ∛(∛)
- fourth root – ∜(∜)
- superscript 6 – ⁶(⁶)
See the Math Symbol Unicode chart or Alan Wood’s Mathematical Operator Unicode table for other common symbols.
Math ML
Math ML is an XML language designed to present complex equations. MathML and HTML 5 combinations are supported, but only in the most recent browsers.
See the following links for information on how MathML can be implemented.
Math ML Links
- Math Player Plugin(Internet Explorer for Windows only)
LaTeX
Web pages generally do not support LaTeX directly, but many equation editors such as MathType or Wiris can convert LaTeX to MathML.
Superscript & Subscript
You can use the <sup></sup> tag to create super script text and <sub></sub> to create sub-script text. See examples below:
Code: x<sup>x+1</sup>
Result: xx+1
Code: x<sub>i+1</sub>
Result: xi+1
See the Superscript page for additional options.
Links
Third Party Fonts
The following fonts are availble free for educational use and include most encoded mathematical and technical symbols.
- STIX Fonts – OTF freeware font
Mathematic Entity Codes
Math ML Links
- Math Player Plugin(Internet Explorer for Windows only)
LaTeX