LibreOffice-Suite-Math/C2/Using-Greek-characters-Brackets-Steps-to-Solve-Quadratic-Equation/English

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Visual Cues Narration
Show Slide Number 1

Spoken tutorial on LibreOffice Math

Learning Objectives

  • Using Greek characters like alpha, beta, theta and pi
  • Using Brackets
  • Writing Steps to solve a Quadratic Equation
Welcome to the Spoken tutorial on LibreOffice Math.

In this tutorial, we will cover the following topics:

Using Greek characters like alpha, beta, theta and pi

Using Brackets

Writing Steps to solve a Quadratic Equation

Open the MathExample1.odt (created in part 2) Let us learn how to write Greek characters using Math.

For this, let us first open the example Writer document that we created in the last tutorial i.e. MathExample1.odt.

Double click on the Gray box with the formulae we wrote.

Click on the Formula Editor border and drag and drop to the right to make it float.

Text in pink colour needs to be typed in the Formula Editor Window

In the Formula Editor Window (FEW in short) type: %pi newline

Double click on the Gray box that has the formulae we wrote.

This brings up the Math Formula Editor and the Elements window.

Let us click on the Formula Editor border and drag and drop it to the right to make it float.

This maximizes the Writer window for better visibility.

Now Greek characters, for example, alpha, beta, theta and pi are common in mathematical formulas.

But we won’t find these characters in the Elements window.

We can write them directly, by using the percentage sign followed by the name of the character in English.

For example, to write pi, we simply type %pi in the Formula Editor

Point mouse on the last formula in the Writer gray box area

In FEW, press enter, type %alpha newline %beta newline

Point mouse on the last formula in the Writer gray box area

In FEW, press enter, type %GAMMA newline %THETA newline

Point mouse on the last formula in the Writer gray box area

Click on Tools menu on top, click Catalog.

Select Greek under Symbols.

Double click on the first Greek letter from the list.

Point mouse on the last formula in the Writer gray box area

Click Tools > Catalog.

To write a lowercase character, type the name of the character in lowercase.

For example, to write alpha in lower case, type %alpha or %beta

To write an uppercase character, type the name of the character in uppercase.

For example to write gamma in upper case, type %GAMMA or %THETA

Another way to enter Greek characters is by using the Catalog from the Tools menu.

Under the Symbol set, select Greek and double click on a Greek letter from the list.

Notice the mark up for the Greek letter as alpha which is displayed below the list.

So this is how we can introduce Greek characters in a formula.

Explore the Symbols Catalog to know the mark up for other Greek characters.

In FEW, press enter, type 5 over x + y

Point mouse on the last formula in the Writer gray box area

In FEW, add { character before x and } character after y.

Point mouse on the last formula in the Writer gray box area

Let us now learn how to use Brackets in our formulae.

Math does not know about order of operation in a formula.

So we have to use Brackets to state the order of operation.

For example, how do we write ‘First add x and y, then divide 5 by the result’?

We can type ‘ 5 over x + y ‘.

Now is this really what we wanted to write?

No, we want to add x and y first, and we can do this, by

introducing curly brackets around x and y.

And the mark up looks like: ‘5 over x+y in curly brackets’

So using brackets can help set the order of operation in a formula.

Click File > Save. Let us save our work by using the File menu at the top and choosing Save.
Click once on the Writer area outside Gray box. Press Control + Enter for a new page.

Press Enter key, then type: ‘Solving a Quadratic Equation’ and press enter twice.

Click Insert>Object>Formula

Copy paste in FEW the following: x ^ 2 - 7 x + 3 = 0 newline newline

Press Enter key, copy paste in FEW the following:

Quadratic formula: x={{ -b+-sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}} over 2a newline newline

Press Enter key, copy paste in FEW the following:

Where a is the coefficient of the x ^ 2 term, b is the coefficient of the x term, c is the constant. newline

Press Enter, copy paste in FEW the following:

We can solve the equation by substituting 1 for a, -7 for b, 3 for c

Let us now write the steps to solve a Quadratic Equation.

We will go to new page in the Writer document, by pressing Control + Enter.

Let us type: ‘Solving a Quadratic Equation’

And call Math from the Insert>Object>Formula menu

I have already typed the quadratic equations, I will cut and paste them so as to save time.

So here is the quadratic equation we will solve, x squared - 7 x + 3 = 0

To solve it, we can use the quadratic formula shown on the screen:

Here ‘a’ is the coefficient of the x squared term, ‘b’ is the coefficient of the x term and ‘c’ is the constant.

And we can solve the equation by substituting 1 for a, -7 for b, and 3 for c in the formula.

Now we will click once and then click once more outside right of the gray box and use backspace key to remove the Math gray box. So first let us write the mark up for the quadratic equation that we want to solve.
Click Insert > Object > Formula

In FEW, type:

x ^ 2 - 7 x + 3 = 0

newline newline

Press enter and type:

Quadratic Formula: newline

Press enter

Type:

sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}

Type { -b +- before the above and } at the end

Type { before the above , and } at the end

Type at the end: over 2a

Type x ~=~ at the beginning of line

Point mouse over FEW, the ~ symbol next to ‘x’

Press enter twice at the end of this line

Point mouse over the last formula in the Writer gray box area

In FEW, type:

newline newline Where ‘a’ is the coefficient of the x ^2term, b is the coefficient of the x term, c is the constant newline

We can solve the equation by substituting 1 for a, -7 for b, 3 for c newline newline

Press enter twice

x~=~ {{ -(-7)+-sqrt{(-7)^2 - 4(1)(3)}}} over {2(1)} newline newline

First we will call Math from the Insert>Object>Formula menu

In the Format Editor Window, let us type the mark up as follows:

‘x squared minus 7 x plus 3 = 0

Let us write two newlines for entering blank lines for better readability.

Press Enter and type ‘Quadratic Formula: ‘.Press Enter

It is always a good practice to break down a complex formula by starting with the inner most elements of the formula first

And then we can work our way around these elements.

So we will first write the inner most square root function

And the mark up is ‘square root of b squared - 4ac’ in curly brackets.

Next, we will add the ‘minus b plus or minus’ to the above expression and put them inside curly brackets.

We will make the above expression a numerator by adding another set of curly brackets

Add ‘over 2a’ to the expression.

And finally add ‘x equals’ to the beginning.

With two long gaps surrounding the ‘equal to’ symbol.

And there is the quadratic formula.

This is how we can break down complex formulae and build them part by part.

Next let us type the rest of the text as follows in the Formula Editor window:

‘Where ‘a’ is the coefficient of the x squared term, b is the coefficient of the x term, c is the constant.’ followed by a newline.

And type: ‘We can solve the equation by substituting 1 for a, -7 for b, 3 for c’ followed by two newlines.

So the mark up after the substitution, is as shown on the screen:

So we have substituted the numbers using parentheses in the equation.

Show Slide Number 2

Assignment:

1. Complete the remaining steps for solving the quadratic equation.

2. Display the two results separately.

3. Format the steps by changing alignments and spacing. Add long gaps and newlines wherever necessary.

4. Write the following formula: ‘ pi is similar or equal to 3.14159’

Okay, here is an assignment for you:

1. Complete the remaining steps for solving the above quadratic equation

2. Display the two results separately.

3. Format the steps by changing alignments and spacing.

Add long gaps and newlines wherever necessary.

4. Write the following formula: ‘ pi is similar or equal to 3.14159’

Show Slide Number 3

Summary:

  • Using Greek characters like alpha, beta, theta and pi
  • Using Brackets
  • Writing Steps to solve a Quadratic Equation
This brings us to the end of this tutorial on Greek Characters, Brackets and Equations in LibreOffice Math.

To summarize, we learned the following topics:

Using Greek characters like alpha, beta, theta and pi

Using Brackets

Writing Steps to solve a Quadratic Equation.

Acknowledgement Slide Spoken Tutorial Project is a part of the Talk to a Teacher project, supported by the National Mission on Education through ICT, MHRD, Government of India.

This project is co-ordinated by http://spoken-tutorial.org.

More information on the same is available at the following link http://spoken-tutorial.org/NMEICT-Intro.

This script has been contributed by Priya Suresh, Desicrew Solutions,) and this is (the name of the narrator and affiliation and place) signing off. Thanks for joining.

Contributors and Content Editors

Chandrika, Pravin1389