Site Update

I've added [math] and [mathblock] BBCode tags, which can be used to display formatted math. We've had a few requests for this, particularly for group forum threads and blog posts. Most math-related TeX syntax is supported. (We are currently using MathJax to handle the layout.)

The documentation from the BBCode guide is repeated below for your convenience.

Math and MathBlock

TeX syntax math can be typeset using the [math] tag. This will place the math inline with the rest of the text.

For example, the Pythagorean theorem is a^2 + b^2 = c^2

For example, the Pythagorean theorem is [math]a^2 + b^2 = c^2[/math]

[mathblock] is used for larger formulas to display them in their own paragraph. For example, the quadratic formula:

x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}

[mathblock]x = \frac{-b \pm \sqrt{b^2 - 4ac}}{2a}[/mathblock]

Comments

[Spiral_Donut]

Thank you!

[Undome Tinwe]

\texttt{I need to find a way to use this now. This is amazing.}

[fourths]

ban all nerds

[Time Reaper]

It looks kind off complicated, but I think I could use this later down the line.

[Barrobroadcaster]

Thanks, this will make it easier to express equations. Great job!

[Georg]

I was told there would be no math on this test.

[Xaquseg]

4750597
It's a little complicated yes, but once you learn the basics it's not too hard to write most simpler formulas. More complicated formulas require more knowledge of how all the features work, but people who have taken graduate level math courses have probably either already used or at least been exposed to TeX syntax in a LaTeX document. (and anything below that probably isn't going to be that hard to express.)

[lordelliott]

\frac{x}{0} = 1

[resonance]

vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/cardfight/images/8/87/2397_safe_exploitable_meme_sweetie_belle_image_macro_reaction_image_artist-colon-uc77_that_is_beautiful.png/revision/latest?cb=20140922022932

also, a bit terrifying.

[djthomp]

MathFiction when.

[Majin Syeekoh]

[Matthewl419]

So A^3 + 6^4 - 5^1 +7^3 = B^5 and

z = \frac{y+14 \sqrt{A^5 - 2}}{57}  / 16 = c

That’s dang cool. Thought it is annoying to use “\” instead of “/”

[destinedjagold]

4750594
no u

[SweetAI Belle]

Yay! \\ \\I'll have to think of things I can do with this.^1.

 \begin{bmatrix} Sweetie\space Belle & Scootaloo \\ Apple\space Bloom & Cutie\space Mark\space Crusaders \end{bmatrix}    

\\ ^1 That\space aren't\space math\space related.

--Sweetie Belle

[Xaquseg]

4750616
Keep in mind using the tag for things it's not intended for may create readability problems for some users. (and is as a result not recommended.)

I do plan to add support for proper tables, although I'm not sure what the exact timeframe will be, as getting that right is harder than it sounds.

[DAMN HAMSTER]

4750594
This.

[the dobermans]

Well, isn't this timely?

[Troposphere]

For completeness the post should probably show the source for the a^2+b^2=c^2 example too.

[Spectrumancer]

4750603

x = N͘҉͟҉͞aN͘͞҉̶

[Troposphere]

4750616
To avoid spacing problems (e.g. Muffins), you should enclose the non-math text in \text{...}, producing \text{Muffins}, or \textit{...} producing \textit{Muffins}.

[SweetAI Belle]

4750618
I'll keep that in mind.

I actually tried full tables inside the math tag, too, to see if that'd work, but the example I copied and pasted just came out all on one line with the lines typed on top of each other, unfortunately. Tables was one of the things I was hoping for, and I am glad it's being worked on.

Real footnotes would be nice, too. (Ones where you didn't have to scroll all the way to the bottom of the chapter to read then scroll all the way up, anyways.) And blocks of text you could show and hide by clicking on an arrow or +/- would be neat.

But then, I tend to have way too many ideas on this type of thing...

--Sweetie Belle

[Unknownlight]

2 + 2 = 5

Nailed it.

[Xaquseg]

It's important to note that use of the tag for non-math in such a way that it creates readability problems violates the general rules on story formatting.

[Sharp Quill]

I already know how I'll be using this

[Xaquseg]

4750632
Tables, footnotes, and expandable regions are all on my to-do list. All three have some sort of extra complexity that makes getting it all working right nontrivial, unfortunately.

[kits]

4750639

\begin{gather*}
a_0=\frac{1}{\pi}\int\limits_{-\pi}^{\pi}f(x)\,\mathrm{d}x\\[6pt]
\begin{split}
a_n=\frac{1}{\pi}\int\limits_{-\pi}^{\pi}f(x)\cos nx\,\mathrm{d}x=\\
=\frac{1}{\pi}\int\limits_{-\pi}^{\pi}x^2\cos nx\,\mathrm{d}x
\end{split}\\[6pt]
\begin{split}
b_n=\frac{1}{\pi}\int\limits_{-\pi}^{\pi}f(x)\sin nx\,\mathrm{d}x=\\
=\frac{1}{\pi}\int\limits_{-\pi}^{\pi}x^2\sin nx\,\mathrm{d}x
\end{split}\\[6pt]
\end{gather*}

Excellent :3

[SweetAI Belle]

4750631
Thanks! I was wondering how to do that, as I'm mostly just looking at a quick reference and seeing what I can figure out.

 \begin{bmatrix} \text{Sweetie Belle} & \text{Scootaloo} \\ \text{Apple Bloom} & \text{Cutie Mark Crusaders} \end{bmatrix}    

-\textit{Sweetie Belle}

[Grizzly Nation]

nice

[SweetAI Belle]

4750638

I'd imagine! A lot of times e-book readers don't deal with footnotes well, either, and since you can't really do them the way a real book would, you have to make them work other ways.(mouse over text, showing them in a bar at the bottom, click to expand, click to go to the footnote then click to get back, etc...) Discworld-type stories really ask for them, though.

I'll admit I mostly want the expanding blocks for things like rules and faqs.

Hmm, looks like the math blocks don't work with copy and paste...

--Sweetie Belle

[FamousLastWords]

Here, I just made an equation to quantify my writing.

My Writing = \frac{Spike \pm \sqrt{romance tag - talent}}{edgyness}

[Troposphere]

Text-to-speech seems to ignore [mathblock] paragraphs completely, but gives hilarious results with [math] for me -- first reading the symbols in the formula aloud twice, and then continuing to read the TeX source.

Xaq, would it be possible use CSS to to exclude the <span class="mjx-math"> and <script type="math/tex"> elements from TTS? That would mean the reader sees only the "Assistive MathML" span, which it would have a fighting chance of pronouncing readably.

In the absence of that, it's probably best to avoid math in stories altogether.

[Vic Fontaine]

Cool stuff! Thanks!!

[Hap]

You mean, I don't have to convert screenshot a word doc with equation editor equations and turn them into .jpg and insert them as images any more?

There's not a lot of info out there on this. Can it do vector symbols? Cross and dot products? Where do I go to learn these things?

[Xaquseg]

4750680
It uses TeX syntax, there are quite a few resources online to learn the various supported commands. To answer your specific questions, all those features should be supported.

[abronie]

4750639
Took me a few clicks to realize LOL

[abronie]

4750680
https://www.mathjax.org

[Xaquseg]

WikiBooks has a pretty good page on using math in LaTeX, most of which is applicable to this tag: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Mathematics. (although some of the talk about how to get a math environment, like using $...$ or \begin{math} isn't applicable)

[SIGAWESOME]

Edit:
Ninja'd

4750680

There's not a lot of info out there on this. Can it do vector symbols? Cross and dot products? Where do I go to learn these things?

Here is a good start...

[Xaquseg]

4750664
It should be possible to improve TTS handling of this, yes. Current situation should still be better than a picture of math (at least it scales to high resolution screens at large font sizes well), but clearly it could be better...

[Admiral Biscuit]

4750606
As soon as Pineta learns this is a thing.

[Troposphere]

Another attempt at a "quick" reference is https://math.meta.stackexchange.com/questions/5020/mathjax-basic-tutorial-and-quick-reference

Math.SE uses the same math rendering engine as Fimfic now does, except that where they write $...math...$ and $$...math...$$, we must mark it up as [math] and [mathblock] to delimit the blocks.

[particle_pony]

4750639
Silly pony. a_n are zero by inspection.

[HB_DS2013]

I can't run from math anymore. It keeps finding me.

[Troposphere]

4750798
For f(x)=x^2, the b_ns clearly vanish by symmetry, but the a_ns don't. I get

a_0 = \frac23\pi^2, \qquad a_n = (-1)^n\frac4{n^2} 

[Honey Lavender]

But does it let you add Greek letters (e.g. capital delta) without having to copy/paste from elsewhere? Those DO hold significance in some formulae, after all...

[Troposphere]

4750850
Yes: [math]\Delta,\delta[/math] produces \Delta,\delta.

[Honey Lavender]

4750856
Sounds good! Thanks for the assist

[Cloud dawn]

This and pornhub are more caring about people then the real world. K den

[Koekelbag]

That's... unexpected, but a welcome addition.
Especially surprising since this comes out the literal day before I have a test on just this.

[NumberEight]

\int

AWESOME!