Mathematics is an essential aspect of science
and education. So, to realize the potential of the Web for science, it
must be possible to use mathematics on the Web. Mathematical
expressions must move seamlessly between the Web and a wide range of
environments including authoring tools, content management systems,
XML-based work flows, e-learning environments, and scientific
computing software.
W3C brought together key players and major stake holders and formed the Math Working Group. It created and maintains the Mathematical Markup Language (MathML), a highly structured, information-rich, XML encoding for mathematical expressions.
MathML facilitates authoring and presentation of mathematical expressions in print and on the screen, and forms the basis for machine to machine communication of mathematics on the Web. MathML provides two sets of tags, one for the presentation of mathematics and the other associated with the meaning behind equations. MathML is not designed for hand-editing; specialized tools provide the means for typing and editing mathematical expressions.
The MathML 1.0 Recommendation appeared on 7 April 1998. The latest version, version 3.0, became a Recommendation on 21 October 2010. It is updated for Unicode 5, includes OpenMath Content Dictionaries, and supports right-to-left writing, such as used in some countries with Arabic script.
The Math WG has reduced its activity since June, when the MathML for CSS Profile was published. It is currently not writing any new specifications, but only oversees the integration of MathML into other W3C technologies, especially HTML5. It also collects errata for the three published Recommendations, MathML 3, A MathML for CSS Profile, and XML Entity Definitions for Characters.
The group will continue to accompany the use of MathML in other W3C technologies and maintain the MathML specifications and related resources, as needed. No new deliverables are currently planned.
| Group | Chair | Team Contact | Charter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math Working Group (participants) | Patrick D F Ion, Robert Miner | Bert Bos | Chartered until 31 March 2012 |
This Activity Statement was prepared for TPAC 2011 per section 5 of the W3C Process Document. Generated from group data.
Bert Bos, Math Activity Lead
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