bruce note1 on math notation 10.15.2004
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A brief informal note addressed to Bruce, apparently written around 10.15.2004 and annotated as read 11.27.24. It first suggests writing derivatives of products with the [ ... ]' notation, illustrated with y(x) = x^2 sin(x) e^x. It then describes Phil's Word workflow: a library of pre-built equation pieces kept in a separate file, special keystrokes for sub/superscripts and Greek letters, and his normal.dot template, since the equation editor is too slow.
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Bruce, read 11.27.24
(1) Here is something people often do, and I wonder if you do it.
For example, you want the derivative of the following:
y(x) = x2 sin(x) ex .
The answer is this:
y'(x) = [ x2 sin(x) ] [ ex ] ' + [ x2 sin(x) ]' ex
= x2 sin(x) ex + [ x2 cos(x) + 2x sin(x) ] ex
and then you might factor out common factors. The point is the use of the notation
[ ............. ]' to indicate the derivative of some quantity.
(2) Also, I have a way of doing math notation very fast in Word if you
are someday interested. Things like this:
∫-f(x)dx !Syntax Error, In2
The trick is to laboriously make these things one at a time, then park them off in some
separate file, and copy them in as needed. You build up a little library of things
in that file. To edit them, select and hit F4. I have special keystrokes for sub
and superscript and for all Greek letters.
T // my small superscripts, hard to read but do not increase row height
T // my large ones, but row height is increased.
Polynomial might be y(x) = x4 - 2 x2 + 31 x - 10.
All this stuff is in my normal.dot file.
For me, the "equation editor" is about 20x too slow to use for rapid in-line stuff.