MathML Cheat Sheet
Here we summarize some of the most common MathML tags and their uses. This is not a tutorial. It is simply a quick reference for those who already have some experience in typing MathML from scratch, or who need to repair damaged MathML that was generated by an editor.
| MathML Tag | No. of Args. | Purpose | Example |
| ∞ | 0 | Make an infinity symbol | |
| ∫ | 0 | Make an integration symbol | |
| ∑ | 0 | Make a summation symbol | <mo>∑</mo> |
| α | 0 | Make a greek alpha (other greek letters are analogous) | <mi>α</mi> |
| <math> | * | Start MathML input | <math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> ... </math> |
| <mfenced> | 1 | Put grouping symbols (parentheses, brackets...) around an object | <mfenced> <mi>a</mi><mo>+</mo><mi>b</mi> </mfenced> |
| <mfrac> | 2 | Make a fraction expression, e.g. a/b | <mfrac> <mi>a</mi><mi>b</mi> </mfrac> |
| <mi> | 1 | Set a character in math italic type | <mi>a</mi> |
| <mn> | 1 | Typeset a number in math mode | <mn>3</mn> |
| <mo> | 1 | Typeset a mathematical object (symbol) | <mo>+</mo> |
| <mover> | 2 | Make an object with another above it. | <mover> <mi>x</mi> <mo>^</mo> </mover> |
| <mrow> | * | Group a set of math symbols (e.g. a numerator of a fractional expression) | <mfrac> <mrow><mo></mo><mi>a</mi></mrow> <mn>2</mn> </mfrac> |
| <msqrt> | * | Make a square root expression | <msqrt>2</msqrt> |
| <mstyle> | * | Alter the default style of the math display e.g. whether displayed or in-line. | <mstyle displaystyle="true"> ... </mstyle> |
| <msub> | 2 | Make an expression with a subscript, e.g. x1 | <msub><mi>x</mi><mn>1</mn></msub> |
| <msubsup> | 3 | Make an expression with both a subscript and a superscript; e.g. integral from zero to infinity... | <msubsup> <mo>∫</mo> <mn>0</mn> <mo>∞</mo> </msubsup> |
| <msup> | 2 | Make an expression with a superscript; e.g. x2 | <msup><mi>x</mi><mn>2</mn></msup> |
| <mtable> | * | Make a mathematical table. Useful in custom matrices | <mtable><mtr><mtd>...</mtr></mtable> |
| <mtd> | 1 | Make a data entry in a math table | <mtr><mtd>0</mtd><mtd>1</mtd></mtr> |
| <mtr> | * | Make a math table row | <mtr><mtd>0</mtd>...</mtr> |
| <munder> | 2 | Make a symbol with text beneath it. | <munder> <mrow><mi>x</mi><mo>+</mo><mi>y</mi></mrow> <mo>⏟</mo> </munder> |
| <munderover> | 3 | Make a symbol with text beneath and above it | <munderover> <mo>∑</mo> <mrow><mi>i</mi><mo>=</mo><mn>0</mn></mrow> <mo>∞</mo> </munderover> |
Hints
- Every MathML tag must have a corresponding closing tag.
- Use <mrow> to make mathematical entities with more than one character.
- You can see a full listing of characters available at the W3C MathML site. Look at the "MathML Character Names" section. Not all of these characters are available on every computer, due to the wide variety of fonts required.
- Amaya is the W3C editor/browser, and is becoming pretty mature. If you want a wysiwyg editor for MathML, it might be about as good as it gets. It is free too.
Final grades have been posted at my.math. Thanks for being
a great class, and have a happy holiday break!
Note that the final exam for this class takes place
Friday, 16 December, 8-10 AM. Though you will have two
hours to do it if you like, it will be written as a one-hour
exam. Expect roughly 75% of it to be on Matlab and Maple, and
the rest to cover the first half of the semester.
As always, it will use open notes.