Math Notation & Graphing Related Questions:
- Calculators and Graphing:
- Math Notation, Typing Equations, Posting Graphs:
- Math Symbols in Advanced Courses:
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Math Notation & Graphing Related Q&A |
Where can I find a scientific calculator for my computer?
On a Windows computer, click "start -> all programs -> accessories
-> calculator". In "view" click "scientific" rather than "standard". I'm sure MAC
has something similar (and MACs have a terrific built in graphing calculator!
See below.).
Where can I find a free online grapher or graphing software for my computer?
Want to save money by not buying a graphing calculator?
I want to purchase a handheld graphing calculator. Which one should I buy
and where?
If a graphing calculator is required for your math class,
recommended make/model(s) are listed in the "technology requirements" section of
your class syllabus. Also see Clark Math Dept's
Which Graphing
Calculator Should I Buy?.
You can buy a new graphing calculator at the Clark College
bookstore, office supply stores, electronic stores, or buy new/used online. The
Clark College bookstore has used graphing calculators for rent (subject to
availability). If you are on financial aid, you may qualify to borrow a
calculator from the Clark College mathematics department (first come, first
serve - see the Math Division Secretary in BHL 115).
I need a tutorial on how to use my graphing calculator. Where can I turn for
help?
Calculator help from Clark College mathematics faculty:
Calculator help from textbook publishers, calculator makers, and other sources:
Additional suggestions:
- Ask a tutor for a graphing mini-lesson (to maximize your 1:1 time pick an off peak hour).
- Ask your instructor for help during an office hour.
- Post questions to your class discussion board.
Where online can I find some free printable graph
paper?
Try
www.incompetech.com/graphpaper or
www.printfreegraphpaper.com.
How do you use the math palette and graphing tools in MyMathLab?
Three tutorials are available to teach you how to math notation into MML's
TTEs and assessments:
- How to Enter Answers Using the MathXL Player Tour is the best one to start
with.
- When working tracked tutorial exercises or assessment in MML
there is a math palette (on the left of the screen) that allows you to enter mathematical symbols.
Pearson's Math Palette Help provides assistance with the math palette.
- Some questions require you to produce a graph using MML's graphing tool.
Pearson's Graphing Tool Help provides assistance with the graphing tool.
How do you type superscripts (powers) and
subscripts in BlackBoard?
To type a power (superscript) in BB you can just use the caret symbol
(looks like ^ and is above the 6 on a standard keyboard). For example x3
would be written as x^3. But if you prefer prettier formatting, BB has
subscript and superscript buttons in the message toolbar. For example type the
base, click the x2 button, type the exponent, and click the x2
button again to leave the exponent area. The subscript button x2 is
handy for typing logarithms such as LOG2x. Useful keys!
How do you type math expressions horizontally in
plain text
format?
Math expressions can be typed online in a number of ways
including plain text, WebEQ, ASCII, or HTML. The most common is to write
expressions in plain text, but you have to format the expressions carefully
using appropriately placed parentheses and accurate notation.
Writing Math Expressions
Online in Plain Text -
Examples and Cautions.
 READ ME!
How do you use WebEQ, the equation editor in BlackBoard?
For complicated mathematical expressions such as
those including fractions or radicals you may want to use WebEQ to type your
equation in a BB post. To use WebEQ, while typing your discussion board post, click the
equation editor icon.
This brings up a "WebEQ Equation Editor" dialogue box.
Type your mathematical expression using the math symbols in the drop down
menus of the math palette. Fill-in the little empty boxes as required using
the right arrow to escape from them when done. When completely done entering
your equation click "submit". It will return you to your post which now
contains a box with the equation. (I find that sometimes all I see is an empty
white box. In that case right arrow away from the box and "preview" your
message and you should see that your equations are really
there.) Finally complete the text of your message and "submit" the post.
If you have technical problems with WebEQ, make sure your
Java is the most updated version (see What software and plug-ins do I need to access the course
materials?. Also, WebEQ (and all of BlackBoard) works best in the Mozilla
FireFox browser. Any further technical troubles with WebEQ should be directed
to Clark's eLearning Department.
WebEQ provides nicely formatted math notation, but some
people find it tedious to use and sometimes unreliable. If you fall in this category, consider all the methods available for typing math notation
and choose the method that works best for you. See How
do you type math expression horizontally in plain text format? and
How do you type math symbols using ASCII codes?.
How do you type math symbols using ASCII codes?
ASCII codes
are easy to produce using your numeric keypad. They are useful when typing math
notation in an email or discussion board post. Some of the more useful ones
are listed below. A more complete list is available in a Windows tool called
"character map".
To make the ASCII code display on a Windows system, hold the ALT
key down while typing the three or four digit code on your numeric keypad, then release the ALT key and the symbol should appear.
(Note: don't type the +, just the digits.) On a laptop you may need to turn on your numeric keypad first
(NumLk), then hold both the FN and ALT keys down as you type the three or four digit
code on the numeric keypad, release both, and the symbol appears.
I've included some HTML tags here too for those of you familiar with HTML
programming. Enter the HTML editor in BB by clicking the "<>" icon. See the
next question for more information about HTML in BB.
| Symbol |
ASCII Code |
HTML Equivalent |
| fractions ¼ |
ALT+0188 |
¼ |
| one-half ½ |
ALT+0189 |
½ |
| three-quarters ¾ |
ALT+0190 |
¾ |
| infinity sign ∞ |
ALT+236 |
∞ |
| pi symbol
π |
ALT+227 |
π |
| multiplication dot x·y |
ALT+0183 |
· |
| division sign ÷ |
ALT+0247 |
÷ |
| approximately equal to ≈ |
ALT+247 |
≈ |
| not equal to ≠ |
|
≠ |
| less than < |
|
< |
| greater than > |
|
> |
| less than or equal to ≤ |
ALT+243 |
≤ |
| greater than or equal to ≥ |
ALT+242 |
≥ |
| intersection ∩ |
ALT+239 |
|
| plus or minus ± |
ALT+0177 |
± |
| square x² |
ALT+0178 |
² |
| cube x³ |
ALT+0179 |
³ |
| radical sign √ |
ALT+251 |
√ |
| absolute value bars | | |
use SHIFT \ on keyboard (looks
like two vertical dashes) |
| composition of functions fºg |
ALT+0186 |
|
| sum sign ∑ |
ALT+228 |
∑ |
| angle mark ∠ |
|
∠ |
| degree mark ° |
ALT+0176 |
° |
| dot product V•W |
ALT+0149 |
• |
| cross product V×W |
ALT+0215 |
× |
| difference sign Δ |
|
Δ |
| integral sign ∫ |
|
∫ |
Greek letters
Lower case: α β γ δ θ
π φ
Upper case:
Α Β Γ Δ |
ALT+224 for α
ALT+225 for β |
Lower case:
α
β γ δ
θ π φ
etc.
Upper case:
Α Β Γ &Delta etc. |
How do you type HTML tags in BlackBoard?
If you are familiar with HTML programming you can use HTML tags to format your
messages and produce some mathematical symbols. In a BB message, click the "<>" icon, compose your message in HTML,
and click "<>" again to preview the message. I have included some useful HTML
tags in the chart above.
How do you use MS Word's Equation Editor or Math Type to post
mathematical equations to BlackBoard?
You can cut-and-paste from MS Word into BlackBoard if your
document only contains normal formatting (such as underline, bold, italic,
superscripts, subscripts, etc.). However, if your MS Word document contains an
equation built using its Equation Editor then you can NOT cut-and-paste into BB
(doing so will result in the dreaded red-X). MS Word's Equation Editor (which
is similar to Design
Science's stand-alone Math Type software) allows you to type
mathematical equations in a Word document. But the process to transfer those
equations into a BB message is somewhat technologically involved. If you are planning to take more than one online
mathematics course or are taking courses at the intermediate algebra or higher
level, then it may be a worthy investment of your time. First you must check to see if you have the
Equation Editor (EE) feature already installed in MS Word. EE is automatically
included on a ribbon in MS Office 2007 and later. If you have an earlier version
of MS Office then you must install EE from your disks and add an EE icon to your Word toolbar
(for directions see www.jolenemorris.com/InfoSeries/EE.htm
or
www.rodsweb.org/mshelp
but ignore any reference to Outlook Express). Now with
access to EE in MS Word, here is how to transfer an EE equation to a BB message.
Create a Word document with an EE object
included. You will need to extract the .gif file of the EE object for posting to
BB.
Depending on your version of Word/EE you may be able to double click on the EE
object and "save as" a .gif. Or you can "save as" the entire Word doc in HTML and then
navigate to the document's "files" folder which contains the GIFs. The
.gif file(s)
can then be embedded into a BB discussion board message (see How do
I embed a graphic in a discussion board message in BB).
How do you post graphs, images, or scanned
solutions in BlackBoard?
First you have to produce a graph or image in your computer (see
Graph using an
online grapher or simply draw by hand and scan in) and save it as a .gif or .jpg file (see
Saving the graph via a screen print)
or transfer the graph via cable from your graphing calculator (see manual). Then
embed the image into your BB discussion board post (see How do
I embed a graphic in a discussion board message in BB).
What are the meaning of these math symbols?
If you are in Calculus or higher, here are some math symbols
with which you should become familiar:
means "is an element of" |
 means
"angle" |
means "implies" |
means "if and only if" (IFF) |
means "therefore" |
means "such that" |
means "for all" |
means "there exists" |
In trig diagrams, what is the symbolism of the
lettering?
Generally, capital letters represent points or vertices,
small letters represent sides or lengths, and
Greek letters represent measures of angles. However, sometimes textbook
authors use capital letters to represent vertices and the measure of
the angle at that vertex, e.g., A=80° means the measure of angle at vertex A
is 80°. Actually they should write,
A=80°, where
means the measure of the angle.
I will use either convention.
The most common Greek letters used in trig are
 = alpha ("al-fah"),
 = beta ("bay-tah"),
 = gamma ("gam-mah"),
 = theta ("thay-tah"), and
 = phi ("fee", not "fie"!).
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