davidbau.com

Easy Math Typesetting

My brother, who is a math teacher, is switching from Word to OpenOffice / Google Docs and is looking for a free solution for mathematical typesetting.

We looked at a bunch of solutions, but then we realized that it is hard to beat the simplicity of a free and super-easy web-based solution: use Wolfram Alpha to produce typeset formulas as GIF files.

You can write very natural formula text like r = sqrt(x^2 + y^2) or a = integral(sin(x)^2, 0, 1) and Alpha will automatically produce a beautifully typeset GIF within the results. Voila:

Good enough for math homework!

Update Feb 2010: now that the Google Chart Server supports TeX typesetting, things are even easier. Try the Math Formula Editor here.

Posted by David at July 8, 2009 04:23 PM