If you feel up to it, you can use Microsoft Word and Equation Editor to create, save, and upload your math into our bulletin board messages.

What is "Equation Editor"?

(There are undoubtedly other products that operate similarly.  If you have different word processors, practice with them and see how well they "send" to us at the On Line Math Learning Center.  Sometimes compatibility is a problem.)

Do you have the software you need?  Let's check right now!

Equation Editor is a piece of Microsoft Software that allows you to use mathematical symbols.  To see if you have it, open Microsoft Word.  Click on INSERT, then click on OBJECT, then scroll through your list of options to look for MICROSOFT EQUATION.  If it's there, then you have it!   TA-DAH!    Click on CANCEL.

You'll also need to be able to save your math in html format.  To see if you can "save to html" click on FILE, then click on SAVE AS, then see if "html" is an option under "SAVE AS TYPE".  Good.   Now click on CANCEL.

(If your version of MS Word does not have these options, you may be able to upgrade for free.  Visit the Microsoft Website for details.  MS Word 97 or later definitely can do the job.  Or use the techniques described at the Swarthmore site.  They will get the job done for you.) 

If you've got everything you need...  Read on!

Practice with it a bit before trying to send us something on our bulletin board.  You'll probably want to type regular text without opening Equation Editor.  When you're ready to type your math problem, then open the Equation Editor.  

Print out this page, then try this:

• Open a new MS-Word document.
• Type:  "How do I simplify an expression that has a radical sign in the denominator?"  Hit ENTER to start a new line.
• Now open the Equation Editor:  (You'll see a collection of boxes each of which holds more symbols.)  Click on the box that holds fraction bars, then click on the horizontal fraction bar symbol itself.  That places the fraction bar into your MS-Word document, with the cursor flashing in the numerator (the top).  That means you're ready to type the numerator.
• In the numerator, type "2".
• Now click on the denominator (the bottom) to get your curser flashing there.  We want to place a radical sign (the square root symbol) in the denominator.  So you'll need to click on the box that holds the radical signs (it's the same one that held the fractions bar).  Then click on the radical sign, and it's placed in the denominator of the fraction.  If you need to, click so that the flashing curser is inside the radical sign.
• Good.  You're inside the radical sign in the denominator of a fraction, right?  Now type "2".  
• Click anywhere else on the page and the Equation Editor is closed.   Your MS-Word document should look like:

Isn't that beautiful and easy to read?   If it didn't come out looking like that, keep practicing! We teachers had a bit of a tough time figuring this out ourselves, so make up your own problems and give them a try. 

Now you have to save your work in a form that will be "web-ready".  

• Click on FILE.
• Choose a folder into which you will save your math documents and images.   You might want to use TEMP or you might want to create a special MATH folder.
• Click on SAVE AS.
• Where the window says SAVE AS TYPE scroll down and click on HTML.
• Now click SAVE.
• As Microsoft Word is saving your document as HTML, a window will open that tells you that it has to save your math as a picture.  We agree, of course, and click SAVE PICTURES.  Those pictures will be named sequentially as follows:  Image1.gif, Image2.gif, and so on, and that's what you'll upload to our bulletin board, NOT the document file itself.

 WHEW!   That was more work than you thought!  

But you are ready to upload your math as an image
to the bulletin board and send us your questions that way.  
Click on the above link to learn how!

If this explanation is making you crazy,
forget it and use the tips described
at the Swarthmore  Website instead!  

Take me back to the On Line Math Learning Center Home Page.