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
For Internet Explorer, download and install the Mathplayer plugin.
Mozilla-based browsers do have MathML support built-in, but 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 - This requires more work, so it is discussed in more detail on its own page Help:MathML in Linux. Firefox may require additional steps.
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>
Go the the Sandbox to try it out.
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.
