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Algebra filter: Difference between revisions

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Moodle has a wonderful "algebra filter" which can easily make mathematical expressions in classic layout. The filter is included in the standard Moodle packages. The administrator must activate it though before you can use it.
Moodle has an  "algebra filter" which can display mathematical expressions as if they were typeset. The filter is included in the standard Moodle packages but the administrator must activate it before you can use it and it requires that the Moodle Tex filter also be working as the algebra filter simply parses math expressions in one syntax and then converts the expressions to LaTex expressions for the Tex filter to render and display.


I personally think that students should be taught to recognize and use expressions that can be written in one line just the same as one enters them in a spreadsheet or when entering on a calculator. Having that ability also increases the ease of making interactive math problems.
Unfortunately, though implementation of Tex for Moodle Docs has been demonstrated (see e.g. https://docs.moodle.org/test/Development:MediaWiki_TeX_test) that functionality has yet to be addressed in the production version of moodle docs.


The algebra filter can take expressions written in that way (like you would enter them in a spreadsheet cell) and display them the way we usually write them by hand or in math books. You simply surround the expression with double @:
More to the point, while it has been argued that the algebra filter is easy to use, there is apparently no Moodle reference on its "grammar" or "syntax".  See http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=126522&parent=554632 for links to an explanation of this notation from the Webworks site.


@@y=(x+2)^2/(3x)@@


@@cosh(x,2)-sinh(x,2)=1@@
Unfortunately this Moodle Docs Site doesn't have the algebra filter so you can't see here how nice they look. (There is a LaTeX math formula button in the wiki editor, but it doesn't recognize TeX or Algebra filter expressions, and I don't find any docs for THAT either!)
For more advanced expressions that the algebra filter doesn't cope with there is the TeX filter that can basically do any math expression. The syntax there is more complicated. and the expressions are surrounded (in Moodle) by double $. Here is a good reference about TeX notation: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/LaTeX/AoPS_L_GuideSym.php
(The algebra filter is actually a simplified front end for a TeX engine)
There are some Moodle Glossaries: one with algebra and TeX and several with only TeX examples (in several languages) here:
http://moodle.org/mod/glossary/view.php?id=2739&mode=letter&hook=M&sortkey=CREATION&sortorder=asc
==See also==
*Discussions: please create or find a discussion topic in the [http://moodle.org/mod/forum/view.php?f=130  Mathematics tools forum].


[[Category:Filter]]
[[Category:Filter]]

Revision as of 21:36, 24 August 2009

Moodle has an "algebra filter" which can display mathematical expressions as if they were typeset. The filter is included in the standard Moodle packages but the administrator must activate it before you can use it and it requires that the Moodle Tex filter also be working as the algebra filter simply parses math expressions in one syntax and then converts the expressions to LaTex expressions for the Tex filter to render and display.

Unfortunately, though implementation of Tex for Moodle Docs has been demonstrated (see e.g. https://docs.moodle.org/test/Development:MediaWiki_TeX_test) that functionality has yet to be addressed in the production version of moodle docs.

More to the point, while it has been argued that the algebra filter is easy to use, there is apparently no Moodle reference on its "grammar" or "syntax". See http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=126522&parent=554632 for links to an explanation of this notation from the Webworks site.