# ASCIIMath Formulae

ASCIIMath is a clever JavaScript written by Peter Jipsen that dynamically transforms mathematical formulae written in a wiki-like plain text markup to MathML markup which is displayed as standard mathematical notation by the Web Browser. See Appendix E in the AsciiDoc User Guide for more details.

The AsciiDoc `xhtml11` backend supports ASCIIMath — it links the ASCIIMath script and escapes ASCIIMath delimiters and special characters to yield valid XHTML. To use ASCIIMath:

1. Include the `-a asciimath` command-line option when you run `asciidoc(1)`.

2. Enclose ASCIIMath formulas inside math or double-dollar passthroughs or in math passthrough blocks.

Here’s the AsciiDoc source that generated this page.

NOTE

- When you use the `asciimath:[]` inline macro you need to escape `]` characters in the formulas with a backslash, escaping is unnecessary if you use the double-dollar macro (for examples see the second formula below).

- See the ASCIIMath website for ASCIIMath documentation and the latest version.

- If the formulas don’t appear to be correct you probably need to install the correct math fonts (see the ASCIIMath website for details).

- See the LaTeXMathML page if you prefer to use LaTeX math formulas.

A list of example formulas:

- `[[a,b],[c,d]]((n),(k))`

- `x/x={(1,if x!=0),(text{undefined},if x=0):}`

- `d/dxf(x)=lim_(h->0)(f(x+h)-f(x))/h`

- `sum_(i=1)\^n i=(n(n+1))/2`$ and bold `int_0\^(pi/2) sinx\ dx=1`

- `(a,b]={x in RR : a < x <= b}`

- `x^2+y_1+z_12^34`

The first three terms factor to give `(x+b/(2a))^2=(b^2)/(4a^2)-c/a`.

`x+b/(2a)=+-sqrt((b^2)/(4a^2)-c/a)`.

Now we take square roots on both sides and get `x+b/(2a)=+-sqrt((b^2)/(4a^2)-c/a)`. Finally we move the `b/(2a)` to the right and simplify to get the two solutions: `x_(1,2)=(-b+-sqrt(b^2-4ac))/(2a)`.