Microsoft Word 2007 The Equation Editor Environment (Win)

The Equation Editor Environment

While creating your Word document, you may need to use mathematical expressions such as equations, formulas, summations, complex fractions, or nonstandard symbols. With a proper understanding of the Equation Editor and the Design command tab, you will be better equipped to create such expressions. This document explains the Equation Editor environment and how it can be used to create mathematical expressions. For more information, refer to Creating Custom Mathematical Expressions.

• Accessing the Equation Editor
• The Equation Editor
• The Design Command Tab

Accessing the Equation Editor

The Equation Editor is never more than a few clicks away.

1. Place the insertion point where the Equation Editor should appear
   NOTE: To customize how you want the equation to appear on the page, refer to Equation Editor Options.
2. From the Insert tab, in the Symbols group, click EQUATION
   The Equation Editor appears in your document.

The Equation Editor

The Equation Editor has three main parts, shown and described below:

Move tab

When clicked and dragged, equations in the Equation Editor can be moved between the characters of a document.

Equation text box

Allows you to insert Word's built-in equations or structures, or your own custom equation. For more information, refer to Creating Custom Mathematical Expressions or Inserting Built-in Equations and Structures.

Formatting pull-down list

Allows you to format your mathematical expression. For more information, refer to Formatting Equations.

The Design Command Tab

When you access the Equation Editor, the Design command tab automatically appears on the ribbon. The Design command tab is a source of additional options for the Equation Editor. It has three groups: Tools, Symbols, and Structures.

The Tools Group

The Tools group allows you to format the Equation Editor and access built-in equations and saved equations. For more information, refer to Inserting Built-in Equations, Saving Custom Equations, or Equation Editor Options.

The Symbols Group

Word 2007 has many symbols to choose from when creating mathematical expressions.

Accessing Symbols in the Symbols Group

1. Access the Equation Editor
2. From the Design command tab, in the Symbols group, click MORE
   The Symbols scroll box appears.
3. Click the title bar of the Symbols scroll box
   A list of symbol categories appears.

The Structures Group

The Structures group offers users many types of nonstandard mathematical designs. Some structures may be a single character (e.g., operators, accents) others will provide a framework of operators and placeholders which you can edit (e.g., integrals, large operators). For more information on Structures, refer to Inserting Built-in Structures