About Equation Breaking

Operators > Equation Breaking Operators > About Equation Breaking

About Equation Breaking

Equation breaking is a handy method that allows users to, for example, view long equations within the boundary of a Page View.

You can only use the Equation Break operators on the definition side of the equation. Each operator consists of a left placeholder, an Enter arrow on the top line followed by the algebraic operator and the right placeholder on the bottom line. Clicking Equation Break toggles the display of the operators.

Equation Breaks in Symbolic Definitions

The symbolic evaluation of some definitions returns a long result that extends to the Draft View area of the worksheet. Printing the page that contains such an evaluation will not show part of the result that goes beyond the boundary of the Page View page.

To avoid this problem, you can use the Equation Break operators to vertically wrap definition expressions so that enough horizontal space is left for the display of their evaluation result inside the Page View area.

For example, if you have this symbolic evaluation, where the dotted line shows the right-side border line of the Page View page:

Click to copy this expression

<region id="ID0ET6VO" top="115.20000000000002" left="38.400000000000006" actualWidth="625.29" actualHeight="56.31066666666667" xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/worksheet50">
  <math resultRef="3">
    <define xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50">
      <function>
        <id labels="VARIABLE" xml:space="preserve">f</id>
        <boundVars>
          <id labels="VARIABLE" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
        </boundVars>
      </function>
      <symEval>
        <apply>
          <plus />
          <apply>
            <plus />
            <apply>
              <plus />
              <apply>
                <plus />
                <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                <apply>
                  <pow />
                  <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                  <real>2</real>
                </apply>
              </apply>
              <apply>
                <mult />
                <real>2</real>
                <apply>
                  <pow />
                  <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                  <real>3</real>
                </apply>
              </apply>
            </apply>
            <apply>
              <mult />
              <parens>
                <apply>
                  <minus />
                  <apply>
                    <scale />
                    <real>5</real>
                    <apply>
                      <pow />
                      <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                      <real>4</real>
                    </apply>
                  </apply>
                  <apply>
                    <scale />
                    <real>2</real>
                    <apply>
                      <pow />
                      <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                      <real>5</real>
                    </apply>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
              </parens>
              <apply>
                <div />
                <apply>
                  <scale />
                  <real>2</real>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                    <real>-3</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
                <apply>
                  <scale />
                  <real>7</real>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id xml:space="preserve">y</id>
                    <real>-2</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
              </apply>
            </apply>
          </apply>
          <real>20</real>
        </apply>
        <command>
          <placeholder />
        </command>
        <symResult>
          <apply>
            <plus />
            <apply>
              <minus />
              <apply>
                <plus />
                <apply>
                  <plus />
                  <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                    <real>2</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
                <apply>
                  <mult />
                  <real>2</real>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                    <real>3</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
              </apply>
              <apply>
                <div />
                <apply>
                  <mult />
                  <apply>
                    <mult />
                    <real>2</real>
                    <apply>
                      <pow />
                      <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">y</id>
                      <real>2</real>
                    </apply>
                  </apply>
                  <parens>
                    <apply>
                      <minus />
                      <apply>
                        <mult />
                        <real>2</real>
                        <apply>
                          <pow />
                          <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                          <real>5</real>
                        </apply>
                      </apply>
                      <apply>
                        <mult />
                        <real>5</real>
                        <apply>
                          <pow />
                          <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                          <real>4</real>
                        </apply>
                      </apply>
                    </apply>
                  </parens>
                </apply>
                <apply>
                  <mult />
                  <real>7</real>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                    <real>3</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
              </apply>
            </apply>
            <real>20</real>
          </apply>
        </symResult>
      </symEval>
    </define>
    <resultFormat>
      <matrix size="12,12" offset="0,0" show-indices="false" expand-nested-arrays="false" />
    </resultFormat>
  </math>
</region>

You can use the Equation Break operators to break the definition components so that you can see the whole result:

Click to copy this expression

<region id="ID0EMAWO" top="192.00000000000003" left="38.400000000000006" actualWidth="455.64" actualHeight="126.20800000000003" xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/worksheet50">
  <math resultRef="5">
    <define xmlns="http://schemas.mathsoft.com/math50">
      <function>
        <id labels="VARIABLE" xml:space="preserve">f</id>
        <boundVars>
          <id labels="VARIABLE" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
        </boundVars>
      </function>
      <symEval>
        <apply>
          <plus />
          <apply>
            <plus split="true" />
            <apply>
              <plus />
              <apply>
                <plus />
                <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                <apply>
                  <pow />
                  <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                  <real>2</real>
                </apply>
              </apply>
              <apply>
                <mult />
                <real>2</real>
                <apply>
                  <pow />
                  <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                  <real>3</real>
                </apply>
              </apply>
            </apply>
            <apply>
              <div inline="true" split="true" />
              <apply>
                <mult split="true" />
                <parens>
                  <apply>
                    <minus split="true" />
                    <apply>
                      <scale />
                      <real>5</real>
                      <apply>
                        <pow />
                        <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                        <real>4</real>
                      </apply>
                    </apply>
                    <apply>
                      <scale />
                      <real>2</real>
                      <apply>
                        <pow />
                        <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                        <real>5</real>
                      </apply>
                    </apply>
                  </apply>
                </parens>
                <apply>
                  <scale />
                  <real>2</real>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                    <real>-3</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
              </apply>
              <apply>
                <scale />
                <real>7</real>
                <apply>
                  <pow />
                  <id xml:space="preserve">y</id>
                  <real>-2</real>
                </apply>
              </apply>
            </apply>
          </apply>
          <real>20</real>
        </apply>
        <command>
          <placeholder />
        </command>
        <symResult>
          <apply>
            <plus />
            <apply>
              <minus />
              <apply>
                <plus />
                <apply>
                  <plus />
                  <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                    <real>2</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
                <apply>
                  <mult />
                  <real>2</real>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                    <real>3</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
              </apply>
              <apply>
                <div />
                <apply>
                  <mult />
                  <apply>
                    <mult />
                    <real>2</real>
                    <apply>
                      <pow />
                      <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">y</id>
                      <real>2</real>
                    </apply>
                  </apply>
                  <parens>
                    <apply>
                      <minus />
                      <apply>
                        <mult />
                        <real>2</real>
                        <apply>
                          <pow />
                          <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                          <real>5</real>
                        </apply>
                      </apply>
                      <apply>
                        <mult />
                        <real>5</real>
                        <apply>
                          <pow />
                          <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                          <real>4</real>
                        </apply>
                      </apply>
                    </apply>
                  </parens>
                </apply>
                <apply>
                  <mult />
                  <real>7</real>
                  <apply>
                    <pow />
                    <id labels="*" xml:space="preserve">x</id>
                    <real>3</real>
                  </apply>
                </apply>
              </apply>
            </apply>
            <real>20</real>
          </apply>
        </symResult>
      </symEval>
    </define>
    <resultFormat>
      <matrix size="12,12" offset="0,0" show-indices="false" expand-nested-arrays="false" />
    </resultFormat>
  </math>
</region>

You can only use the Equation Break operators on the definition side of the equation.