Appendix C
How to Make Equations with MS Equation 3.0
C.1 Inserting an Equation
To insert an equation, choose Insert from the pull-down menus, then Object, then MS Equation
Editor. A window should appear as below. Alternatively, a blank box may open with the equation
toolbar.
Note: If you can’t find MS Equation Editor among the list of objects to be inserted, it probably wasn’t
installed on your machine. MS Equation Editor comes with MS Word, but often the standard installation
doesn’t include it. You can install Equation Editor after the fact by running the install software that
comes with MS Word.
C.2 Entering Characters
All keyboard characters can be entered directly. Parentheses, brackets and braces can be entered
from the keyboard, but these are fixed in size. Brackets that will "grow" must be selected from the
appropriate template.
C.3 Entering Symbols
The symbols printed on the menu buttons provide information as to the characters available under
each button. The symbol palettes are shown below:
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Relationship symbols; equality;
inequality; equivalence
Alignment symbols; spacers;
ellipsis
Logic symbols
Set theory symbols; union; intersection;
containment
Miscellaneous symbols; gradient; degree;
Planck’s constant
Accents; primes; hats; dots
Operators; multiplication; division;
dot product
Lowercase Greek
Arrows
Uppercase Greek
C.4 Entering Templates
The second row of palette buttons contains template palettes to provide placeholders for entering
information. For example:
Brackets, braces and parentheses
(that expand with their contents)
Overbars and underbars
Fractions; radicals; long division
Labeled arrows
Subscript; superscript; other
over/under positioning
Products and set theory
Summations
Matrices
Integrals
C.5 Example: Entering an Equation
This example will demonstrate how to insert the following common mathematical equation:
  b  b 2  4ac 


x
2a
1. Type "x=" from the keyboard
2. Choose a fraction from the template.
3. Select parentheses from the template (NOT the keyboard).
4. Type "-b" from the keyboard.
5. Select "plus or minus" from the palette.
6. Select a radical from the palette.
7. Type "b" from the keyboard.
8. Select the superscript from the palette.
9. Type a "2".
10. Tab (or cursor) to come down a level, and type "-4ac".
11. Tab (or cursor) to move to the denominator, and type "2a".
TIP: You can use Control-Space to enter single blank spaces. Other spacing options are available in
the symbols palatte.
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C.6 Stacking and Aligning Equations
Equations can be stacked in a pile. To do this, simply press the Return key to begin a new line. To
align this pile at a character, such as an equal sign, choose "align at" from the Format menu.
C.7 Positioning of Equations
Equations can appear in-line (for example, like this: x 

) in a line of text. The line spacing

will adjust automatically. If you wish to have equations appear in a paragraph by themselves, simply press
Return before and after the equation. The best way to position an equation when on a separate line is to
center the equation using tabs. You can also add a caption, e.g. (2.3), to the equation using tabs. This is
demonstrated below:
  b  b 2  4ac 
 .
x
2a
(C.1)
Center tab
Choose tab type
(center, right, left,
etc.) with this button
Right tab
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