Help:Math
Intro
Mathematics can be displayed on SolarSailWiki pages using the PHP version of ASCIIMath. ASCIIMath has a simple syntax for expressing equations that is converted to MathML which can be rendered by newer web browsers. Browsers that support MathML are:
- Internet Explorer - using the plugin Mathplayer
- Mozilla Firefox
- Mozilla
- Mozilla SeaMonkey
Getting MathML to work
Although the Mozilla based browsers do have MathML support, they may require additional steps to get it working. In particular, the fonts can be a problem, as discussed in this page on Fonts for MathML-enabled Mozilla. Take a look at that page for operating-specific instructions. In general, the approach is:
- Windows - download and install the fonts required.
- MacOS - download and install the fonts required.
- Linux - Ok. This is a bit of a pain, and will be discussed in more detail on the Help:MathML in Linux page.
ASCIIMath
For detailed ASCIIMath usage, look at the ASCIIMathML syntax. One important change is that in this implementation, ASCIIMath is NOT contained in backquotes: `...` Instead, it is contained within "am" tags: <am>...</am> ("am" for "ASCIIMath"). As an example, the cube-root of a-times-x plus x-squared can be expressed using the code:
<am>root3 (a x + x^2)</am>
This is displayed in MathML as: <am>root3 (a x + x^2)</am>
Some other examples:
The acceleration of a solar sail due to solar pressure <am>vec a_s</am> given the position vector from the sun to the sail <am>vec r_s</am> is:
<am>vec a_s = a_c (AU^2)/(r_s^2) ( vec r_s * vec n)^2 vec n</am>
where <am>a_c</am> is max sail acceleration at Earth's distance from the sun (1 AU), <am>AU</am> is the length of an astronomical unit, <am>r_s</am> is the magnitude of <am>vec r_s</am>, and <am>vec n</am> is the unit vector normal to the sail surface.
