Re: [icon-users] Equations and tables in lists
- From: ralph_valmai@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- To: icon-users@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:10:58 +0100
In message <be9b2c334f.martin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Martin Wuerthner <lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> In message <f1d929334f.ralph_valmai@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> ralph_valmai@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
>
>> I think my judgement is/was affected by my view that a displayed
>> equation should be part of a properly punctuated sentence. It is
>> sometimes the end of a sentence and should have a full stop, and
>> sometimes not, when it might have a comma or whatever following it. In
>> the latter case the sentence might continue with 'where x is . . .'.
>> The displayed equation is not often a paragraph on its own; it is
>> usually part of a longer paragraph. Therefore I was surprised to find
>> that the shift carriage return had no effect.
>
> I think there is a misunderstanding.
I don't think so, at least not on my part. I'm talking about language,
grammar, and so on, not about the software.
> The question whether an equation
> is a paragraph on its own or part of a sentence is precisely the
> distinction between an Equation and an inline Expression in
> TechWriter. If you want it to be part of a sentence, why not use an
> Expression? Then, you can have line breaks and everything.
Displayed equations are almost always parts of sentences. I opened the
nearest mathematics text to hand (it happened to be Vector Analysis)
and opened it almost at random.
Here is an example of what I found:
Hence the curve may be given as the intersection of the surfaces
f(x,y,z) = 0 , g(x,y,z) = 0 ,
or by the parametric equations
x = f(t), y = g(t) , z = h(t).
Notice the punctuation. As it happens these didn't have equation
numbers but all equations in the book, numbered or otherwise, are the
same apart from those appearing in lists of, e.g, trigonometric
identities. Mathematics is language in a way that pictures, figures,
tables, lists and so on are not and is treated differently. Equations
are part of the 'text' in the literary sense.
>
> The main reason for having Equations is the fact that an Equation can
> have an equation number to the left or right, which you could not
> easily achieve with an inline Expression.
I'm not talking about how the software works, but about language and
grammar and the typesetting conventions that result from that.
>
> Maybe you mix this up with the distinction between the sizes? By
> default, Equations are shown at Display size (e.g., limits are above
> operators) and inline Expressions at Text size (limits to the side of
> operators), but you can change that for the full expression or even
> individual parts in Maths => Size, so you can have an inline
> Expression shown in the same way as a standalone Equation and vice
> versa.
That's how I solved the problem with equations in lists - in-line
equations set to display size, each on their own line beginning and
ending with a shift carriage return.
I'm getting well off topic here I am afraid. Your method for the exam
paper is better and solves all my problems. Thanks.
All the best,
Ralph
--
Ralph & Valmai Stevens
In leafy Epping
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