Enter and Edit Mathematics

Because Scientific Notebook assumes that you're entering text, you must tell it when you want to start entering mathematics. Then, entering mathematics is as easy as entering text.

$\blacktriangleright$    To start mathematics

• ClickitbpF18.125pt18.125pt2pttext.wmfor, from the Insert menu, choose Math.

  The Math/Text toggle appears as itbpF22.4375pt21.0625pt2ptmath.wmfwhen mathematics is active.

  
  

$\blacktriangleright$    To enter a mathematical character

• Click the character you want from the Common Symbols toolbar. dtbpF4.062in0.3165in0ptcommon.wmf

  or

• Click one of the character buttons on the Symbol toolbar to open a panel of special characters, and then click the character you want. See the mathematical character panelspanels on page 10.

Choosing a mathematical character automatically starts mathematics.

$\blacktriangleright$    To enter a mathematical object

• Click one of the mathematical objects—such as fractions, radicals, sub- and superscripts, operators, and brackets—available from the Insert menu or the Math toolbars:

Math 1 toolbar:    itbpF253.1875pt66pt30.25ptmath1.wmf

Math 2 toolbar:    itbpF234.3125pt70.375pt30.25ptmath2bar.wmf

The program starts mathematics and places a template for the object in your document. You complete the object by filling in the template. Here are instructions for entering some mathematical objects.

$\blacktriangleright$    To enter a fraction

1. ClickitbpF21.125pt20.125pt2ptfraction.wmfor, from the Insert menu, choose Fraction. On the screen, you see itbpF17.4375pt20.3125pt6ptfracpic.wmf, and the Math/Text toggle changes to itbpF22.4375pt21.0625pt2ptmath.wmf.

2. Type the numerator; then press Tab.

3. Type the denominator; then press the spacebar.

   
   

dtbpF298.5625pt453pt0ptmathpanels.wmf

$\blacktriangleright$    To enter a superscript or subscript

1. Start mathematics.

2. Enter a variable.

3. ClickitbpF20.3125pt19.5625pt2ptsupscrip.wmffor a superscript oritbpF19.5625pt18.8125pt2ptsubscrip.wmffor a subscript or, from the Insert menu, choose Subscript or Superscript.

4. Enter the superscript or subscript, then press the spacebar.

   
   

$\blacktriangleright$    To enter an expression in parentheses

1. ClickitbpF20.3125pt19.5625pt2ptparens.wmfor, from the Insert menu, choose Brackets and then choose the parentheses.

2. Type the expression. Notice that the parentheses are elastic—they expand horizontally and vertically as far as necessary to enclose the expression you enter.

3. Press the spacebar.

   
   

$\blacktriangleright$    To enter a matrix

1. Click itbpF19.8125pt18.9375pt2ptmatrix.wmfon the Math2 toolbar or, from the Insert menu, choose Matrix.

2. Set the number of rows and columns you want.

3. Choose OK.

4. Fill your matrix with mathematics, moving from cell to cell with the Tab key.

   You can change the alignment of the matrix, just as you can for a table.

   
   

$\blacktriangleright$    To enter an operator

1. ClickitbpF20.3125pt19.5625pt2ptoperator.wmfon the Math2 toolbar or, from the Insert menu, choose Operator.

2. Double-click the operator you want.

3. ClickitbpF20.3125pt19.5625pt2ptsubscrip.wmf, and then type the lower limit.

4. Press Tab, and then type the upper limit.

5. Press the spacebar, and then type the variable.

6. If the variable carries a subscript, clickitbpF19.5625pt18.8125pt2ptsubscrip.wmf, type the subscript, and then press the spacebar.

If the expression is in a line of text, limits are automatically placed to the right, like this: $\sum_{{i=1}}^{{n}}$a_i. If the expression is displayed on a line by itself, limits are automatically placed above and below the operator:

$$\sum_{{i=1}}^{{n}}$$a_i

$\blacktriangleright$    To change in-line mathematics to displayed mathematics

1. Enter an expression; then select it.

2. ClickitbpF20.5625pt19.625pt2ptdisplay.wmfon the Math2 toolbar or, from the Insert menu, choose Display.

   
   

$\blacktriangleright$    To change displayed mathematics to in-line mathematics

• Place the insertion point to the right of the display; then press Backspace.

  
  

If you enter a certain expression or equation frequently, you can save it as a fragment and then enter it in any document with just a few keystrokes. Fragments are available from the File menu and from the popup list on the Fragments toolbar:

dtbpF5.6092in0.7092in0ptfragbar.wmf

$\blacktriangleright$    To save and enter a fragment

1. Enter the expression you want to save as a fragment, then select it.

2. From the File menu, choose Save Fragment.

3. Type a name for the fragment; then choose OK.

4. When you want to enter the expression in your document, click the Fragments popup to display the list of fragments, and then click the one you want.

   or

   From the File menu, choose Import Fragment, select the fragment you want, and choose OK.

The program inserts your saved expression into your document. You can save both mathematics and text in a fragment. The only restriction is that a fragment can be no larger than a paragraph.

You can enter a series of mathematical expressions even faster if you enter them in a Body Math paragraph. The Body Math tag is available from the Section/Body Tag popup list. Each time you press Enter in a Body Math paragraph, the program automatically switches to mathematics. This makes it easy to use Scientific Notebook as a mathematics scratchpad without ever having to leave your document.