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#1 2010-01-12 01:44:36
- 1a2b3c2212
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Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
is it possible to put in complicated geometrical shapes into MS Word without manually drawing them?? eg put a pair of parallel lines or put in angle
#2 2010-01-12 04:21:24
- bobbym
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Hi 1a2b3c2212;
I know this does not answer the question but Open Office has that capability and much more on it's new and rapidly taking over format .odt. You could probably drag pictures made from gimp or msword onto a .rtf in msword.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#3 2010-01-13 01:05:46
- 1a2b3c2212
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
sounds promising...any idea how much memory Open Office 3.1.1 takes up when you finish installing the binary file(150MB aaaaaaahh)?
Last edited by 1a2b3c2212 (2010-01-13 01:06:18)
#4 2010-01-13 02:42:06
- bobbym
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Hi 1a2b3c2212;
Less memory than the latest firefox. I run it on a 8 year old machine with only 512 MB of ram and a 2 GHZ single AMD.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#5 2010-01-13 03:58:13
- phrontister
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Hi 1a2b3c2212,
I have OOo v3.0.1, which is a 142MB file. It installed as a 350MB program.
I've never imported geometrical shapes into Word (I have v2007), but I use its drawing tools frequently and find them easy, intuitive and accurate for my type of use (eg, drawing a large variety of shapes to size, rotating them to a specified angle, aligning them with other objects, choosing fill and line colour and weight, distributing them evenly vertically and horizontally...and there are many, many other drawing features too).
I've not used OOo for drawing because I'm too comfortable with Word, but from a quick look at it tonight it seems to do similar. The two programs will have their individual strengths and weaknesses, no doubt.
A few minutes ago I used copy/paste to import something into Word that I drew in ProgeSoft (a CAD program), but Word would only accept it as a picture. ie, I couldn't separate the drawing components into individual editable shapes. 
Right-clicking on the picture and selecting 'Edit' opened ProgeSoft, so I could do the editing there if I wanted to...but not in Word itself.
But I could edit in OOo Draw! Draw has a 'Break' function (via right mouse-click) that splits the pasted object into its individual components...all editable! 
Handy if you need to edit something for which you haven't got the program that created it (or some other compatible one).
I can't see myself ever using that feature, but it might do the job you're after.
Here's something I drew in Word...just to show it doesn't only process words:
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
#6 2010-01-13 04:42:00
- bobbym
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Hi guys;
Check this out:
http://openoffice.blogs.com/openoffice/draw/
I think OO is already a better program than word is. It supports macros and regular expressions, contains a spreadsheet and a formula editor. It is constantly being updated where is word is stagnant. 100 000 000 people have already downloaded OO and it is the wave of the future. Yes, it is large but disk space is cheap. And the best thing is, Tdah, it is not a Micro$oft product.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#7 2010-01-13 10:31:11
- phrontister
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Hi Bobby,
Thanks for that link. I had a quick look at it (I'll have a better one later), and saw a couple of things that I know Word can't do...one of which I'm particularly interested in. I suppose I could create it in Draw and then try porting it over into Word.
I've used the M$ Office suite for many years and it meets most of my word processing and spreadsheet needs (I don't use the other applications much). I haven't given OOo much of a go because my Excel and Word files (I have many) don't transfer over to it properly and I'd have to do more tinkering to get them working in OOo than I want to spend the time and effort on.
Maybe I'll try again some time, and hopefully by then that problem will be fixed.
Last edited by phrontister (2010-01-13 10:33:27)
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
#8 2010-01-13 10:43:39
- bobbym
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Hi;
And that page is only for OO 2.0 a couple of versions back. Use what you are comfortable with is a good rule of thumb. But OO is definitely an alternative for beginners and experienced users.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#9 2010-01-13 23:30:47
- 1a2b3c2212
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
is it compatible on windows vista ? i plan to have MS Word+ OOo on the same computer.
#10 2010-01-14 00:40:36
- phrontister
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
I would presume so, 1a2b3c2212, but I don't know for sure. I have XP Home and both run fine together (eg, M$ Word & OOo Draw open at the same time so I can copy/paste from one to the other).
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
#11 2010-01-14 03:05:24
- bobbym
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Hi 1a2b3c2212;
Should run fine on Vista.
In mathematics, you don't understand things. You just get used to them.
Probability is the most important concept in modern science, especially as nobody has the slightest notion what it means.
90% of mathematicians do not understand 90% of currently published mathematics.
#12 2010-01-14 08:06:21
- quittyqat
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Ever tried the PowerPoint shape editor? It works well, but you can't get it out of the PowerPoint.
I'll be here at least once every month. XP
#13 2010-01-15 02:42:07
- 1a2b3c2212
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
yea that's the point lol. i need to draw pictures and get them into MS Word. right now im using paint cos im too lazy to install. >.<
perfect for an artist.
#14 2010-01-15 09:43:54
- phrontister
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Re: Inputing mathematical shapes into MS Word
Hi 1a2b3c2212 & quittyqat,
Could you give an example (maybe upload a graphic) of what you are trying to do?
Here's a link that might help: Powerpoint diagrams in Word
It's more restrictive than doing the same thing in the Open Office Draw/Writer combination, but may be an option if you have to stay in Word. You could also create the drawing in Draw and copy it into Word (ie, if Word can't draw what you want), from which you will have some limited editing options.
Most of what can be done in Paint can be done in Draw and Word.
1a2b3c2212 wrote:
is it possible to put in complicated geometrical shapes into MS Word without manually drawing them?? eg put a pair of parallel lines or put in angle
It's very easy to create parallel lines in Word: draw one (optionally set it to the angle you want via Format AutoShape/Size/Rotate), then copy/paste it. You can also align them together, or with other objects, by using the Drawing toolbar's aligning tools. If you've activated "Drawing Grid/Object Snapping/Snap objects to other objects", the object you move will snap to other objects.
These features, and many more, are accessed from the Drawing toolbar, which in v2007 opens automatically when you draw a shape, and in older versions, such as XP or 2003, opens via View/Toolbars/Drawing.
Last edited by phrontister (2010-01-16 17:02:58)
"The good news about computers is that they do what you tell them to do. The bad news is that they do what you tell them to do." - Ted Nelson
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