This is a brief introduction to the Final Equation app for Android and iOS. Note that there will be some slight differences in the functionality and screens between Android and iOS.
This application provides the necessary tools for real-time / instant communications in mathematics and the mathematical sciences. The different parts of the application are described in the sections below.
Home / Timeline
A screenshot of the Timeline is shown below:
The Timeline contains posts that are:
- Authored by you, OR
- Authored by someone whom you are subscribed to, OR
- Containing #hashtags or topics that you are subscribed to.
In addition, admin notifications may also be displayed at times, if applicable.
Message Editor
The Message Editor is launched by clicking on the reply button on a message or the edit icon on top-right of the timeline. A screenshot is shown below:
Message contents can include text and mathematical expressions. For math input, a separate keyboard is provided and comprises the following:
- An accessory view containing
- A/∑ button for switching between math / text mode.
- T/D button for switching on / off display mode.
- Left / right arrow navigation buttons.
- Backspace button.
- A button bar with tabs for the following:
- New MathML Element.
- Math Identifiers input.
- Math Numeric input.
- Math functions.
- Greek symbols.
- Math symbols - general.
- Math symbols - big operators.
- Math symbols - binary operators.
- Math symbols - equivalence relations.
- Math symbols - punctuation.
- Math symbols - sets.
- Math symbols - arrows.
- Math symbols - miscellaneous.
- The button palettes / keyboards.
Display mode math elements are typeset differently from Inline mode and the differences are:
- Larger font size in the numerator / denominator of fractions.
- Position of subscripts / superscripts for certain big operators (such as ∑ and ∏).
- Position of subscripts / superscripts for certain math functions (det, gcd, inf, lim, liminf, limsup, max, min, Pr & sup)
The arrow keys (left / right) can be used for navigating the cursor. Backspace key deletes the current math element.
The button palette for new MathML element creation comprises of two sections:
- Create new element - this creates a new empty element at current cursor position.
- Modify current element - this creates a new element of the selected type & adds the currently selected element as a child of it.
The following elements require parameters to be passed and you will be prompted for same when creating a new element:
- Fenced (mfence).
- Under (munder).
- Over (mover).
- UnderOver (munderover).
- Table (mtable).
Formal Proofs
The formal proofs component is a work in progress and is powered by the Lean Theorem Prover (https://leanprover.github.io), screenshot below:
User Profile
Tapping any avatar image in the timeline opens up the User Profile screen as shown below. Alternately, you can open your user profile screen by going to the menu User Profile from the top-left of the Home / Timeline screen.
Subscriptions Editor
The Subscriptions editor allows you to subscribe to other users and / or topics. A screenshot is shown below:
You can search for users by any of the following:
- At least 3 characters of the user nickname, OR
- At least 3 characters of the user full name, OR
- Typing in the exact registered email address.
The trending topics list is automatically generated from the most recent posts.
Settings
The settings screen allows you to configure the application, screenshot shown below:
The configuration options are:
- Attach location to posts (ON by default) - this will include your location when you create a new post.
- Cache size / clearing the cache - this allows you to set the maximum cache size & also empty the cache.
- Font scaling - you can increase or decrease the font sizes.
- Editor XML output - enabling this option shows the raw XML generated for current message. Only for larger screen devices.