[Discussion] OT: Math Formulae in OpenOffice.org 2.3

[Thomas Clayton]

Dear Parker :-0 - err, Prof. Parker :-)  :

While taking a first peek at OOo (2.3; yes, on Windows, at this point),
I noticed the Math 'module' and, instead of investigating how easy it
is to reset the writing app.s page margins to their minimums (my usual
first thing to do with a new writing program); I JUMPed 'write into'
;-) the Eq. Editor - Math 'module'.

I, of course, choose to see how easy - or not - it was to create my
favorite math'l expression: the second differential of real valued real
function equated to the second derivative of that function and other
arguments.

IF you have the OO 'suite', then copy these text lines into the
module's 'text' pane and look above at the 'graphical' pane to see the
result.

After just playing around with the operators, etc., I got this:

d lsup{2} f(langle x,u,v rangle )=d^{2}f over dx^{2}(x) cdot u cdot v

Not TOO bad! One wishes that the d-squared would be up next to the
f(unction) rather than in front of the 'fraction' bar.

So I /ACTUALLY/ opened up the help system and started digging around.
After some interesting reading but NOT to the point I was looking up, I
decided I'd just look at one curious link to another topic and, lo and
behold, a discussion of braces in-general AND in the Math module was on
that help page. Apparently, they're used for OTHER THAN (just) set
designations in the Math module. So that got me to here:

d lsup{2} f(langle x,u,v rangle )={d^{2}f} over dx^{2}(x) cdot u cdot v


Almost good enough for explaining to underclass(men,wem) - e.g.
freshwem - EXACTLY what a second differential IS, in relation to a
second derivative. I'd, however, like to insure that they understand
that the second derivitive is one WHOLE thing, itself. So a little
further grouping symbols are needed. Say square brackets around the
WHOLE second derivitive. One then ends up with:

d lsup{2}f(langle x,u,v rangle)=left [ {d^{2}f} over {dx^{2}}(x) right
]  cdot u cdot v

Now THAT doesn't leave any doubt about the relation of the two!

Sincerely,

Thomas Clayton

BTW, you can blame Dorothy L. Sayers fictional detective Lord Peter
Whimsey for the start of this letter!
T.C.