Displaying Mathematical Equations

When I wrote on implementing Standard Error formula using LAMBDA, I used CodeCogs Equation Editor webservice. Since then I have been trying a few other solutions.

I put together this table for comparison.

Renderer	Engine	Input	Output Format	Strong Points
CodeCogs	WebService	LaTeX	Image	WYSIWYG Equation Editor
Katex	JavaScript	MathML, TeX, and AsciiMath	HTML+CSS, SVG, or MathML	Fast rendering unlike MathJax and AsciiMath
MathJax	JavaScript	MathML, TeX, and AsciiMath	HTML+CSS, SVG, or MathML	Widest browser compatibility
AsciiMath	JavaScript	AsciiMath	HTML+CSS, SVG, or MathML	Easy to write equations, format like Excel equations.

Here are some examples of a Quadratic Equation

Renderer	Quadratic Equation Example
CodeCogs
Katex	\[x = {-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac} \over 2a}\]
MathJax	$$x = {-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac} \over 2a}$$
AsciiMath	`x=(-b+-sqrt(b^2-4ac))/(2a)`

CodeCogs Equation Editor provides an interface to select your structures. This is very helpful if you cannot remember the correct syntax. But all the solutions mentioned above have a demo page for rendering the equation as you type in the input box. No reloading of page required.

Both Katex and MathJax accepts TeX input format. So you can interchangeably switch between the two. Both Katex and MathJax can render AsciiMath input, but not the other way round. You should consider Katex or MathJax, if you use a lot of mathematical equations on your blog.

AsciiMath uses MathJax libraries. It meets my needs as I am unlikely to write complex mathematical equations. Adding the libraries is simpler (2 HTML lines only) and forming AsciiMath equations is very much like how it is read out.

Choose the solution that fits your needs and stick to it. Mixing different implementation within the same blog may only confuse yourself. This however is only a rule of thumb. If you find an equation too difficult to implement, feel free to switch to a different solution.

If you are using a different math equation renderer, please share the reason for your preference in the comments below.

Happy writing mathematical equations in your DC-DEN!