Visual Math Editor is a portable math equation editor for Windows. It runs on your default browser without any internet connection. You can write different types of math equations with the help of this freeware. Almost all types of mathematical operators and symbols are provided in the software. Write your calculations, equations, chemical formulas and get instant results. Write your text, preview and change the recognition results and discover all the features using our tutorial. Sketch lines and shapes, write your text, preview and export to the Microsoft PowerPoint format.
- Math Equation Writer Online
- Free Math Equation Writer
- Free Online Equation Writer
- Math Equation Writer For Ipad
What is an Equation?
An equation says that two things are equal. It will have an equals sign '=' like this:
| x | + | 2 | = | 6 |
That equations says: what is on the left (x + 2) is equal to what is on the right (6)
So an equation is like a statement 'this equals that'
Math Equation Writer Online
(Note: this equation has the solution x=4, read how to solve equations.
What is a Formula?
A formula is a fact or rule that uses mathematical symbols.
It will usually have:
- an equals sign (=)
- two or more variables (x, y, etc) that stand in for values we don't know yet
It shows us how things are related to each other.
Example: The formula for finding the volume of a box is:
V = lwh
V stands for volume, l for length, w for width, and h for height.
When l=10, w=4, and h=5, then:
V = 10 × 4 × 5 = 200
These are all equations, but only some are formulas:
| x = 2y - 7 | Formula (relating x and y) |
| a2 + b2 = c2 | Formula (relating a, b and c) |
| x/2 + 7 = 0 | Not a Formula (just an equation) |
Without the Equals
Sometimes a formula is written without the '=':
Example: The formula for the volume of a box is:
lwh
But in a way the '=' is still there, because we can write V = lwh if we want to.
Subject of a Formula
The 'subject' of a formula is the single variable (usually on the left of the '=') that everything else is equal to.
Example: in the formula
s = ut + ½ at2
's' is the subject of the formula
Changing the Subject
A very powerful thing that Algebra can do is to 'rearrange' a formula so that another variable is the subject.
Example: Rearrange the volume of a box formula (V = lwh) so that the width is the subject
So if we want a box with a volume of 12, a length of 2, and a height of 2, we can calculate its width:
- Entering a formula
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The equation editor uses a markup language to represent formulas. For example, %beta creates the Greek character beta (). This markup is designed to read similar to English whenever possible. For example, a over b produces a fraction: .
You can enter a formula in three ways:
- Select a symbol from the Elements window.
- Right-click on the equation editor and select the symbol from the context menu.
- Type markup in the equation editor.
Free Math Equation Writer
The context menu and the Elements window insert the markup corresponding to a symbol. Incidentally, this provides a convenient way to learn the OOoMath markup.
| Click on the document body to exit the formula editor. Double-click on a formula to enter the formula editor again. |
The Elements window
The simplest method for entering a formula is the Elements window, shown below.

The Elements window is divided into two main portions.
- The top shows the symbol categories. Click on these to change the list of symbols.
- The bottom shows the symbols available in the current category.
| You can hide (or unhide) the Elements window with View > Elements. |
Example 1: 5 × 4
For this example we will enter a simple formula: 5 × 4
On the Elements window:
- Select the top-left button of the categories (top) section.
- Click on the multiplication symbol.
When you select the multiplication symbol on the Elements window, two things happen:
- The equation editor shows the markup: <?> times <?>
- The body of the document shows a gray box with the figure:
The <?> symbols are placeholders that you can replace by other text. The equation will update automatically, and the result should resemble the figure below.
Result of entering '5' and '4' next to the 'times' operator.
| To keep the equation from updating automatically, select View > AutoUpdate display. To update a formula manually, press F9 or select View > Update. |
Right-click menu
Another way to access mathematical symbols is to right-click on the equation editor. This produces a menu as shown in the figure below.
| The entries in this menu correspond exactly to those in the Elements window. |
Markup
You can type the markup directly in the equation editor. For example, you can type “5 times 4' to obtain . If you know the markup, this can be the fastest way to enter a formula.
| The formula markup resembles the way the formula reads in English. |
Below is a short list of common equations and their corresponding markup.
| Display | Command | Display | Command |
|---|---|---|---|
| a=b | a = b | √a | sqrt {a} |
| a2 | a^2 | an | a_n |
| ∫ f(x)dx | int f(x) dx | ∑ an | sum a_n |
| a≤b | a <= b | ∞ | infinity |
| a×b | a times b | x·y | x cdot y |
Greek characters
Greek characters (α, β, γ, θ, etc.) are common in mathematical formulas. These characters are not available in the Elements window or the right-click menu. Fortunately, the markup for Greek characters is simple: Type a % sign followed the name of the character, in English.
- To type a lowercase character, write the name of the character in lowercase.
- To type an uppercase character, write the name of the character in uppercase.
See the table below for some examples.
Free Online Equation Writer
| Lowercase | Uppercase |
|---|---|
| %alpha α | %ALPHA Α |
| %beta β | %BETA Β |
| %gamma γ | %GAMMA Γ |
| %psi ψ | %PSI Ψ |
| %phi φ | %PHI Φ |
| %theta θ | %THETA Θ |
| A complete table of Greek characters is included at the end of the Reference section. |
Another way to enter Greek characters is by using the catalog window. Go to Tools > Catalog. The catalog window is shown below. Under “Symbol Set' select “Greek' and double-click on a Greek letter from the list. The markup name of the character is shown below the list window.
Example 2: π 3.14159
For this example we will suppose that:
- We want to enter the above formula (the value of pi rounded to 5 decimal places).
- We know the name of the Greek character ('pi').
- But we do not know the markup associated with the symbol.
Step 1: Type % followed by the text pi. This displays the Greek character π.
Step 2: Open the Elements window (View > Elements).
Step 3: The symbol is a relation, so we click on the relations button . If you hover the mouse over this button you see the tooltip 'Relations'.
Tooltip indicates the 'Relations' button. | After selecting 'Relations'. |
Step 4: Click on the symbol. The equation editor now shows the markup %pi<?> simeq <?>.
Math Equation Writer For Ipad
Step 5: Delete the <?> text and add 3.14159 at the end of the equation. Hence we end up with the markup %pi simeq 3.14159. The result is shown below.
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