This project addresses the lack of support for rendering and manipulation of mathematics on the web by continuing the development of "techexplorer", a cross-platform, cross-browser plug-in originally developed by IBM Research that renders mathematics written in either MathML or TEX markup. Dynamic mathematical expressions are supported using techexplorer's application programming interfaces (APIs). This further development provides consistent cross-platform browser support for WYSIWYG equation editing and document annotation, making techexplorer a robust development and delivery environment for interactive mathematical content and web services. This project is informed by an advisory group representing the Mathematical Sciences Digital Library (MathDL). The techexplorer plug-in is freely available to end users via MathDL, ensuring widespread access to interactive web-based mathematics.
This project enables rendering, editing, computing (via Java applets or computational web services), and animating of mathematical expressions; support for Dublin Core and IEEE standards for learning object metadata; implementation of the World Wide Web Consortium's Document Object Model (for manipulation of XML data) and MathML specifications; and delivery of a plug-in that is stable, easy to install, and works with multiple browsers and operating systems. This project is a step toward developing and disseminating new methods that could dramatically impact mathematics education and communication.
