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Content and layout

Mathematical notation in text

Write fractions, subscripts and other mathematical notation straight into an explanation, or show a worked calculation as a formula of its own.

When to use it

Use it wherever students should read a formula the way it is printed in a textbook rather than as typed characters: a definition of speed, the steps of a calculation, a physical law.

There are two ways to add one. An inline formula lives inside a Text item, either in the middle of a sentence or centred on a line of its own, so the explanation and the notation stay together. A Formula item is a separate item on the worksheet with its own title, which suits a worked example or a key equation that should stand out.

Adding a formula

To put a formula into text:

  1. Click the pencil on a Text item and place the cursor where the formula should go.

  2. In the text toolbar, click + (Insert) and choose Formula.

  3. Type the formula. Typing / starts a fraction. The keyboard icon in the field opens an on-screen keyboard with fractions, powers and other templates; its shift key shows more, including the subscript.

  4. Tick Format as a Block if the formula should be centred on a line of its own. Leave it unticked to keep the formula inside the sentence.

  5. Click Add, then click the tick to finish editing the text.

To change a formula later, open the text with the pencil and click the formula. The same window opens with it; make the change and click Update.

For a separate formula, use the + between two items and choose Formula. Type straight into the new item, and use Add title above it to say what it shows, for example the units of each number.

What students see

Students see the formulas typeset exactly where you put them: inline formulas within the sentence, block formulas centred below it, and Formula items with their title above. There is nothing to answer, so these items collect no results.

Tips

  • Press the right arrow key to step out of a fraction, power or subscript and carry on typing after it.

  • Keep the general rule in the explanation and the numbers in a Formula item below it. Students then see the formula and its use side by side.

  • A formula shows exactly what you type and calculates nothing. Put the units in the title or the sentence around it.

  • If the result should come from each student's own measurements, use a computed value instead: it calculates from their answers.