DoYourMath.com Algebrator Manual For Your Algebra Problem Solver | Page 9

Using Algebrator

2.1

5

Entering algebraic expressions
Entering and editing algebraic expressions

Once you start the program, click on the

button to create an empty

worksheet. You will see the cursor blinking at the beginning of an input line,
telling you that the algebraic editor is ready for your input. If the keyboard does
not contain a particular symbol which is present in your problem, you can use
the special symbol toolbar to enter that symbol. If you need help entering a
particular type of algebraic expression, review one of the following topics:
Entering fractions and mixed numbers
Entering exponents
Entering radicals

Below is a brief overview of some common editing issues:

Exiting a sub-expression
Generally, WYSIWYG (‘What You See Is What You Get’) expression entry is
pretty intuitive and should require little explanation. One of the features that
does deserve a closer look is ‘sub-expression exit’.

Let’s start with an example:
Imagine you want to enter

. If you use the keyboard symbol for the

exponent ‘^’ and type in a^2b, the editor will produce the following:
Notice that "b" is now in the exponent, and this is probably not what you
wanted. In order to ‘exit’ the exponent you simply need to press the

key, or

click on the right side of a^2

Notice that the size of the cursor is a good indicator of exactly where you are
located within the sub-expression.

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