This module shows how to use Mathematica to output content MathML for use in Connexions modules.
This module contains Connexions documentation which is out-of-date. The contents of this module are provided here for historical purposes only and
should not be considered accurate for the current version of the Connexions website. Please visit the
help page for up-to-date information about the Connexions website, including support for viewing and authoring content and the CNXML language. If you have any additional questions or cannot find the answer to your question, please contact
techsupport@cnx.org and we will be happy to assist in any way we can.
Introduction
In short,
Mathematica is a powerful math program that can be used to
manipulate, evaluate, and solve mathematical equations. One ofthe features new to recent versions of Mathematica is the ability to output
MathML. This includes the support of content MathML aswell as presentation MathML. This document will show you how
to use Mathematica to output content MathML to input into
CNXML documents.
This method of creating content MathML only works in Mathematica 4.2 and above. We recommend you use at least version 5.0.
Mathml content notebook
I have created a simple MathML notebook that anyone can use to
set up Mathematica to output content MathML. The sample notebook is available as
a download from this module .
Using the notebook
There are a few steps you will have to follow to use the
notebook:
- Start Mathematica
- Load the content_MathML.nb by clicking the
file ->open.. menu option.
- Evaluate the notebook by clicking the
Kernel ->Evaluation ->Evaluate
Notebook menu option.
Evaluating the notebook actually sets the options that we need. If you do not evalute the notebook, the options will not be set.
Once you have followed these steps and ensured that thereare no errors, you can proceed to the next step.
This document does not have any operating-system-specific info. For example, there will be no info on how to start Mathematica since this varies depending on what operating system the user is working with.
Exporting content mathml
Follow the instructions below to use Mathematica palettes:
- Open the palette by clicking the
File ->Palettes->Basic Input menu option. (If it is not already open on startup.)
- Build the equation you wish to export into MathML
using the palette.
Now that you have created the equation using whatever method
you have chosen, it is time to export the equation asMathML.
- Highlight the equation you wish to export
- Copy the equation as MathML by clicking the
edit ->copy as ->MathML menu
option.(This will put the equation into a buffer that you will not see!)
- Paste the equation in the appropriate place in your
CNXML document
That's it! You now have content MathML embedded into yourCNXML document.
Problems to look out for
There may be a few differences in the format of the math
that comes out of Mathematica. Following is a list ofpossible problems to look out for. This list will be updated
as problems are found.
- If you plan to have your equations numbered you will
need to have the MathML inside of an
equation tag.
- When exporting an equation that has a radical, the exported math will not use the root tag, but instead will export math with a power. For example, if you attempt to export the square root of two, the resulting MathML will be two to the one-half power.
- You may need to delete the extraneous
xmlns:mathematica and
mathematica:form attributes from the MathML output.
If you encounter a problem contact techsupport@cnx.rice.edu.
