Use of the Equation Editor Steven A. Jones
Last Updated: February 13, 2013 Louisiana Tech University
The Word 2007/2010 Equation Editor
Contents
The Word 2007/2010 Equation Editor .......................................................................................................... 1
When the Equation Editor Should Be Used .................................................................................................. 1
Why the Equation Editor Should Be Used .................................................................................................... 1
How to Enter the Equation Editor Quickly ................................................................................................... 2
Equation display modes ................................................................................................................................ 2
Insertion of Single Symbols .......................................................................................................................... 3
Insertion of Spaces ........................................................................................................................................ 3
Grouping and Brackets ................................................................................................................................. 4
Superscripts and Subscripts .......................................................................................................................... 4
Division and Stacking ................................................................................................................................... 4
Parentheses size control with \phantom and \smash ..................................................................................... 6
Square Roots and Higher Order Roots .......................................................................................................... 7
Integrals, Products and Sums ........................................................................................................................ 7
Function Names ............................................................................................................................................ 7
Other Font Changes ...................................................................................................................................... 8
Accent Marks, Overbars, Underbars, Above and Below .............................................................................. 8
Greek Alphabet ............................................................................................................................................. 9
Hebrew Characters ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Equation Numbers ........................................................................................................................................ 9
Symbol that Lack Keywords ....................................................................................................................... 10
References ................................................................................................................................................... 11
When the Equation Editor Should Be Used
The equation editor should be used to format your equations. In some cases you can use simple Word
commands, such as superscript (<control>+) and subscript (<control>=) to format simple variables, as
when you wish to say, “L
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is the length of the beam,” but in doing so, you should pay attention to the font
in which the variable is displayed. For example, variables should be formatted in italic font, while
function names and units of measure should be in regular font. (It is often easiest to use a shortcut key, as
described below, to jump into the equation editor, even if you are simply typing a variable name).
Why the Equation Editor Should Be Used
Some equations will be nearly impossible to represent without this editor. Others will simply look
unprofessional. Compare the following:
dy ax
2
+ bx + c
--- = --------------- sin(θ)
dx (x – α)
2
=
+ +
(
)
sin
The second form looks better, requires about a third of the time to create with the equation editor, and is
far easier to modify. You can save substantial time if you become familiar with the shortcut commands
within the equation editor. This document describes the use of the editor available in Word 2007. This
environment differs from the keystroke-based editor that was available in previous versions of Word or in
Mathtype. Its syntax is similar to that of TeΧ a typesetting program that pre-dates Microsoft Word.
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