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Learning HTML, CSS, and JavaScript is useful for web development. Learn how to use these technologies responsibly so that all readers might use your creations on the web. This module will cover general best practices as demonstrated throughout the containers, elements, formulas, fractions, roots, tables and some tips on mathML from the start in detail.

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Writing mathematics with MathML

Mathematical Markup Language — or MathML — is the markup language used to write mathematical formulas in web pages using fractions, scripts, radicals, matrices, integrals, series, etc. Although it was originally designed as an independent XML language, MathML is generally embedded inside HTML documents and can be seen as an extension of HTML.

Warning: In practice, MathML content is generated from lightweight markup languages (e.g. LaTeX ) or using graphical user interface : if you just need to integrate mathematical formulas in your web pages, the tips from the Authoring MathML page should be enough.

Prerequisites

Before attempting to learn MathML, it is assumed that you have some basic knowledge of HTML and CSS . Consequently, you are strongly advised to get familiar with at least these two technologies first. Start by working through the following modules:

Some familiarity with mathematical notations and TeX rendering rules might also come in handy, even though required concepts will be explained as needed.

Modules

MathML first steps

MathML is the markup language used to write mathematical formulas in Web pages. This module provides a gentle beginning to your path towards MathML mastery with the basics of how it works, what the syntax looks like, and how you can start using it inside HTML.

See also

MathML on datarist

The main entry point for MathML documentation on datarist, where you'll find detailed reference documentation for all features of the MathML language. Want to know all the values a property can take? This is a good place to go.

MathML first steps

MathML is the markup language used to write mathematical formulas in web pages. This module provides a gentle beginning to your path towards MathML mastery with the basics of how it works, what the syntax looks like, and how you can start using it inside HTML.

Prerequisites

Before starting this module, you should have:

  1. Basic familiarity with using computers and using the Web passively (i.e. looking at it, consuming the content.)
  2. A basic work environment set up, as detailed in Installing basic software , and an understanding of how to create and manage files, as detailed in Dealing with files .
  3. Basic familiarity with HTML, as described in Introduction to HTML .

Note: If you are working on a computer/tablet/other device where you don't have the ability to create your own files, you could try out the code examples in an online coding program such as JSBin or Glitch .

Guides

This module contains the following articles, which will take you through all the basic theory of MathML, and provide opportunities for you to test out some skills.

Getting started with MathML

In this article, we will take a simple HTML document and see how to add MathML formulas into it, introducing a few elements along the way.

Text containers

Now that you get a better idea of MathML, we move on to text containers (variables, numbers, operators, ...) which are used as building blocks of MathML formulas.

Fractions and roots

Relying on text containers, this article describes how to build more complex MathML expressions by nesting fractions and roots.

Scripts

We continue the review of basic math notations and focuses on building MathML elements with scripts.

Tables

Once all basic math notations are known, it remains to consider tabular layout which can be used for matrix-like expressions and other advanced math layout.

Assessments

The following assessment will test your understanding of the MathML basics covered in the guides above.

Three famous mathematical formulas

With the things you have learned in the last few articles, you should already be able to write relatively sophisticated MathML formulas. This assessment gives you a chance to do that.

Updated on April 20, 2024 by Datarist.