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About jsMath
SIAM News articles sometimes include equations or other mathematical symbols that are difficult to display in a web browser. To solve the problem, we use the javascript-based jsMath. Note: if you just want to verify that jsMath will work on your computer, visit our jsMath test page to find out quickly!
When you first load a page from SIAM News online, you may see a font warning at the top of the page like the one shown below:
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If you see this warning, don't panic! You can still use jsMath, and you should still be able to view any equations or mathematical symbols in our articles. However, if you are a frequent visitor to the site, you may want to consider installing additional jsMath fonts on your computer--they will be easier to read, load more quickly than the standard image font, and also print more clearly, should you choose to print a hard copy of an article. Visit this website for more information about downloading and installing additional jsMath fonts. (Link goes to the official jsMath website.)
The jsMath control panel
When you load a page from the SIAM News website, jsMath automatically runs and formats any equations or mathematical symbols on the page for display. When it's finished, a small "jsMath" button will appear in the lower right corner of your browser window. Clicking on this button will bring up the jsMath Control Panel:
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This control panel gives you several options to customize the way jsMath displays equations and symbols in the articles you read. The links on the left of the panel will give you more information about jsMath, but for the purposes of visiting the SIAM News website, the most important button is the "Options" button. The options menu allows you to change the scaling of mathematical symbols and equations within article text; select your preferred display font (if you have downloaded and installed additional fonts); show or hide font warnings; and more. You can customize your settings for a single browsing session or save them indefinitely!
Please note that we recommend deselecting the "Use image alpha channels" for the best viewing experience at SIAM News online.
Browser Support
The current version of jsMath is supported satisfactorily on the SIAM News website by the following browsers:
Windows browsers
- Internet Explorer 5.5 or newer (may display different font warnings than those shown above)
- Firefox 0.8 or newer
- Mozilla 1.6 or newer
- Netscape 7.1 or newer
Mac OS X browsers
- Safari 1.1 or newer
- Firefox 0.8 or newer
- Mozilla 1.4 or newer
- Camino 0.7 or newer
Unix/Linux browsers
- Mozilla
- Firefox
- Konqueror 3.3 or newer
Other browsers may work with jsMath, but are not recommended due to bugs or instability. If you use any of the following browsers, we cannot guarantee that equations and symbols on our site will display properly, and your browser may crash:
- Internet Explorer (any version) on the Mac;
- Opera (any version) on the Mac or PC -- fonts may not display properly or at all;
- Konqueror (prior to version 3.3).
For more information about jsMath, visit creator Davide P. Cervone's official jsMath website.