MathType ($97; $57 academic; 30 day free trial that reverts to an indefinite light edition) is a mathematics equation editor that allows users to easily type and insert advanced equations into common word processing software, such as Microsoft Word and Apple’s iWork suite.
Interface Rating: 
Overall, MathType has a usable, if somewhat utilitarian, interface. The top two rows are palettes that contain all of the available symbols. The majority of these are also included in the light version, which doesn’t contain the other two tool bars. The second row is user definable to include symbols that you commonly use. Simply drag the desired symbol into the bar from the editing window. Below that there are several tabs with common equations, symbols, and constants for various disciplines of math for easy access. There are also two blank tabs in case you fill up the bar above them. You can also assign keyboard shortcuts to any symbol, which significantly speeds up the data-entry process. Note that the light version doesn’t let you add or modify shortcuts, though, so set them all up during the 30 day evaluation period if you want to change some of them.
Here is the main equation editing window.
MathType 6.0 also lets you type some common LaTeX symbols which it will then convert to a regular expression. I’m no TeX expert, but it seems to work pretty good for basic syntax. You can also export data as LaTex or MathML files, although I don’t know enough about either of these formats to give an accurate review of that capability.
LaTeX Entry.
There are a few oddities in MathType’s interface, but they are pretty minimal once you get used to them. One difference between editing in MathType and using a word processor is the fields that MathType creates to contain data. In the example below, there is a fraction with two fields, one for the numerator and one for the denominator. Additionally, there is one for the superscript that contains the curser. Once you’ve finished with a field, you can just use the arrow keys to select another field.
Data Fields
Another difference that can be kind of confusing at first is the different “styles” that MathType uses. The default is the “Math Style,” which doesn’t allow spaces and italicizes all non-math characters. So if you try and enter plain text, it comes out in italics with no spaces between words. To fix this, just go to the menu bar and choose Style>Text, or press the keyboard shortcut, cmd+shift+e. This mode allows you insert spaces and type text without any modification.
Styles.
Functionality Rating:
MathType is a very useful and functional app that can be used anytime you want to easily add symbols and equations into a document. I’ve primarily used it for math homework and chemistry lab reports. It provides a great way to integrate typed answers with equations, which students typically write out by hand leaving reports inconsistent in their styling. Using MathType also allows you to complete repititous homework easily by copying the same basic formulae, changing the numbers, and crunching them again. One thing that MathType does not do is solve problems for you, which is probably a good thing, since you wouldn’t learn anything if it did.
Here are some examples of what MathType can do.
One application that may not be immediately obvious is that of chemical equations. These typically contain many subscripts and superscripts that can be tedious to write out in standard word processing software. MathType makes short work of these and they turn out looking very professional.
This program also integrates fairly well with common applications such as Pages from the iWork suite. The light version doesn’t allow you to save equations, although you can copy the data and paste it directly into a document. If you want to go back and edit the data later, simply select to object, copy it, and paste it into an editor window.
iWork ‘09 also allows you to link equations to documents, so that when you edit them the changes are reflected automatically. Since I don’t own a copy of Microsoft Office, I can’t speak to Word integration, although MathType does include a plugin that allows you to cobble the two programs together.
Value Rating:
Although $97 is fairly steep for an application like this, the large student discount and very functional light version will make it very attractive to a large number of people. I would recommend shelling out money for the full version only if you find yourself wishing to reset or add more keyboard shortcuts or if you simply need some of the symbols the light version doesn’t include. I’m also not sure how well the light version integrates with LaTeX and MathML, so that might be another reason to plunk down some money.
Overall Overall Rating:
Ultimately, MathType is a very useful application for the often overlooked practice of simply typing math. It offers a solid, though bland, interface and full functionality. With various pricing arrangements, it’s also a fairly affordable app. MARS’s advice: Try it, you’ll like it.
