LATEX AND MATHML Mathematical Documents and Webpages for

LATEX AND MATHML Mathematical Documents and Webpages for Braille Readers Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler Visual Impairments Program Los Angeles Unified School District

WHAT ARE LATEX AND MATHML? • La. Te. X, pronounced LAH-TEK or LAY-TEK, is a typesetting application that is widely used by publishers, and in colleges and universities worldwide. A La. Te. X user can produce documents containing beautiful mathematics formulas and equations, the kind you would see in a mathematics textbook. • Math. ML is a "mark-up language" that can be used to display mathematical expressions on the internet. Math. ML is to mathematical expressions posted to the internet what HTML is for text expressions posted to the internet. Prior to the use of Math. ML, mathematics expressions posted to the internet were actually photographs of expressions produced in some other format. The problem for blind readers trying to access webpages containing mathematical expressions using a screenreader is that the screenreader was unable to "read" the photograph. Such a photograph was also inaccessible to a blind reader using a device with a refreshable Braille display for the same reason. Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 2

WHY LATEX AND MATHML? • One reason why La. Te. X and Math. ML are so exciting is that they can easily be converted into mathematical Braille, with the push of a button. Using a couple of inexpensive apps available in the Google Play and Apple App Stores, and an open source application, a teacher can easily convert hand-written mathematics expressions into La. Te. X and Math. ML. Handouts, quizzes, tests, problems on a white or chalk board can all be converted into electronic form, and be made available to Braille readers within minutes. • Another, equally exciting aspect of this technology is that applications now exist that allow Braille readers to convert the mathematics they produce on their devices into print documents that appear to sighted readers as professionally-produced mathematics documents. • In this presentation, we will consider how both of these can be accomplished. Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 3

WHAT ANDROID OR APPLE APPS DO I NEED FOR LATEX? • Ideal Math Writer: This app can be used on an android phone or tablet to convert hand-written mathematics expressions into La. Te. X and Math. ML. Demonstrations showing how to use Ideal Math Writer are available on You. Tube: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Jg. Lgq 7 x 2 Dq. I Here's the link to the Google Play Store: https: //play. google. com/store/apps/details? id=org. idealgroup. mathwritevo 2&hl=en • My. Script Math. Pad: This app for the i. Pad and i. Phone also converts hand-written mathematics expressions into La. Te. X and Math. ML. Here's the link: https: //itunes. apple. com/us/app/myscriptmathpad-handwriting-latex-generator/id 674996719? mt=8 Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 4

• PC Apps DESKTOP AND LAPTOP APPS FOR LATEX • Mi. KTe. X – “Mi. KTe. X is a distribution of the Te. X/La. Te. X typesetting system for Microsoft Windows. It also contains a set of related programs. Mi. KTe. X provides the tools necessary to prepare documents using the Te. X/La. Te. X markup language…” – From Wikipedia. Mi. KTe. X Link: https: //miktex. org/about • TEXMAKER – La. Te. X editor. TEXMAKER Link: http: //www. xm 1 math. net/texmaker/ • Mac Apps • Mac. Te. X – “Mac. Te. X is a redistribution of Te. X Live, a typesetting environment…Mac. Te. X includes Macspecific utilities and front-ends. It is also preconfigured to work out-of-the-box with mac. OS…” – From Wikipedia. Mi. KTe. X Link: https: //miktex. org/about • TEXMAKER – La. Te. X editor, also works on the Mac platform. TEXMAKER Link: http: //www. xm 1 math. net/texmaker/ Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 5

HELPFUL TUTORIALS • Michelle Krummel: aimed at PC and Mac users; link: https: //www. youtube. com/playlist? list=PL 1 D 4 EAB 31 D 3 EBC 449 • Mateo Aboy: aimed at Mac users; link: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Xlxiyt. Ge. Wds • The Not So Short Introduction to La. Te. X 2ɛ (or La. Te. X 2ɛ in 157 minutes) – pdf; link: http: //tug. ctan. org/info/lshort/english/lshort. pdf • A very quick guide to getting started with Texmaker; link: http: //www. cs. bham. ac. uk/~pjh/modules/current/06991/lectures/latex/lat ex 1_v_quick_guide_to_texmaker. pdf • Matt Blackwell; link: http: //www. mattblackwell. org/latex. html Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 6

STEP-BY-STEP METHOD TO CREATE A NEMETH DOCUMENT USING LATEX AND TEXMAKER • In Tex. Maker, create, name, and save a new document. It is very important to name and save the document, because Tex. Maker will not produce a pdf of the document otherwise. • Start the document with the following: document[11 pt]{article} begin{document} end{document} § Keep in mind, once you get the hang of this, it is pretty easy! Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 7

STEP-BY-STEP METHOD CONTINUED • Type text between the begin{document} and end{document} tags. • Mathematical statements (variables, numbers, exponents, and other expressions) must be contained between dollar sign ($ $) tags. For example, the equation 3 x – 5 y = 20 would be written as $3 x – 5 y = 20$. • Several forms, functions, and special characters must begin with a backward slash. For example, the equation y = sin x would be written $y = sin x$; the fraction 4/5 would be written $frac {4}{5}$. • Exponents are written with the caret, ^. For example, the equation 3 x 2 -5 x+2=0 is written $3 x^2 -5 x+2=0$. • The degree symbol, for angles or temperature, in print is ^{circ}. For example, an angle of 30 degrees is written $30^{circ}$. However, note that writing the angle measurement in this way, although it will look good in print, will not translate into the Nemeth degree symbol. I suggest writing it as “$30 -degrees$”. • Here is a link to a very helpful La. Te. X “Cheat Sheet”: https: //reu. dimacs. rutgers. edu/Symbols. pdf Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 8

LAT EX TO NEM ETH EXA MPL E Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 9

Math. ML is a mathematics extensible markup language that allows mathematics to be displayed as text in web pages, rather than as a “picture”. This may allow screenreaders to read mathematical expressions displayed on the internet. The apps Ideal Math Writer and My. Script Math. Pad, in addition to providing La. Te. X script, also provide Math. ML script. MATHML La. Te. X script can be converted directly into Math. ML. There are websites online that allow you to do this. Link: https: //www. mathtowebonline. com/ You will also need an html text editor. Here are two for the PC platform: Here are two: Notepad++: https: //notepad-plus. org/download/v 7. 5. 1. html ; Atom: https: //atom. io/� Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 10

• <math xmlns="http: //www. w 3. org/1998/Math. ML"> • <mrow> • AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT MATHML LOOKS LIKE: SIN 2 X + 3 SIN X – 8 = 0 <msup> • <mi>sin</mi> • <mn>2</mn> • </msup> • <mi>x</mi> • <mo>+</mo> • <mn>3</mn> • <mi>sin</mi> • <mi>x</mi> • <mo>-</mo> • <mn>8</mn> • <mo>=</mo> • <mn>0</mn> • </mrow> Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD • </math> 11

HTML “SKELETON” IN NOTEPAD++ Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 12

COPY AND PASTE THE MATHML INTO THE HTML SKELETO N Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 13

CLICK “RUN→ LAUNCH IN FIREFOX ” Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 14

THIS IS WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN FIREFOX Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 15

HERE ARE MANY EQUATIONS DISPLAYED IN FIREFOX USING MATHML Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 16

HOW CAN STUDENTS MANAGE THEIR OWN MATHEMATICS? THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THIS PRESENTATION! • Accessible Equation Editors • • Pearson’s Accessible Equation Editor • Website: http: //accessibility. pearson. com/aee/ • Demonstration/Tutorial: https: //vimeo. com/157454854 • Problems with the Accessible Equation Editor: Only single line entry, which makes showing multiple lines of work impossible (unless using a series of screenshots, which requires the assistance of a sighted assistant); no “copy/paste” capability; no ability to print or emboss. Benetech Math Editor • Website: https: //matheditor-qa. diagramcenter. org/ • Seeking Field Testers: http: //www. perkinselearning. org/technology/posts/seeking-field-testers-math-editor • Math Support Finder: https: //msf. mathmlcloud. org/ • Problems with Benetech’s editor: No access to advanced mathematical functions (derivatives and integrals); no “copy/paste” capability; no ability to print or emboss. Michael Cheverie and Lore Schindler, Visual Impairments Program, LAUSD 17