[Blindmath] LaTeX vs Nemeth Question

Sat Nov 7 00:51:16 UTC 2009

Dear Susan and others,

I have recently gone through several LaTeX documents. One was a nice and clean LaTeX document which was quite easy to read. The other one was full of code and contained formulae with complex structures. It was a big challenge to know what was actually written there. 

LaTeX is a very good solution, not only for typesetting but also for reading,  as it is widely available, but it is a second-best option. Especially when one needs to read expressions with "fractions in fractions" together with exponents and superscripts, getting a mental image of the formula might become somewhat challenging, which reduces the comfort of going through a technical document. Further developments of good convertors from LaTeX to Braille code should therefore be encouraged. I think the example Susan has just sent us can help us to realize this fact.   

Cheers,
Bert

-----Original Message-----
From: blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindmath-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Michael Whapples
Sent: 07 November 2009 00:59
To: Blind Math list for those interested in mathematics
Subject: Re: [Blindmath] LaTeX vs Nemeth Question

I think I just proved that I would prefer the nemeth (although I don't 
know nemeth in any depth, BAUK is my preferred Braille code).

Here are some comments:
* Firstly \eqalign caught me out, took me some time to realise what it 
was. Admittedly I haven't picked up LaTeX source code for a little now 
so may be if I used it more frequently I would have known straight off. 
Nemeth I understood this structure immediately (remember I don't claim 
to be a nemeth reader). Nemeth more obvious.
* I still don't know what \cr actually is, I suspect it is carriage 
return, would have to look it up to be certain although looking it up 
would break my thoughts on the documents content so I wouldn't really 
want to do it. If I am correct with my guess about \cr, I think at 
university I always had something else used in place of \cr (can't 
remember exactly what) so raising this point of many ways to do one 
thing. Nemeth no mystery here.
* Lots of clutter in the LaTeX source, think I can get more actual 
content on my Braille display with the nemeth. Certainly feel the nemeth 
is easier to find my way around, although the LaTeX could have some 
extra spaces added to assist this, but are we going to alter what the 
author wrote (is it worth the time).

* There was some nemeth I didn't know, this would be due to me not 
actually being a nemeth reader, more someone who has picked a bit up. 
Having combined both I believe there wouldn't be anything in a BAUK 
version I would not understand. So I am not sure I could really say a 
conclusion on this point would be fair.

OK, i probably was already convinced, lets see what others say.

Michael Whapples
On 06/11/09 21:43, Susan Jolly wrote:
> I'm curious whether any of you would actually prefer LaTeX to Nemeth 
> if you
> could get quality Nemeth in a timely manner. I've chosen an example of
> something a bit harder than algebra to contrast these two 
> representations.
>
> First is a LaTeX example from p. 263 of Sewell's "Weaving a Program."
>
> $$\eqalign{\sin[(2n+1)\theta&=
> \Im(e^{(2n+1)i\theta})\cr
> &=\Im\{[\cos(\theta)
> + i \sin(\theta)]^{2n+1}\}\cr
> &=\sum_{k=0}^n(-1)^k
> {{2n+1}\choose{2k+1}}\sin^{2k+1}
> (\theta)\cos^{2(n-k)}(\theta)\cr
> &=\Bigl[\sum_{k=0}^n (-1)^k
> {{2n+1}\choose{2k+1}}\cot^{2(n-k)}(\theta)
> \Bigr]\Bigl[\sin^{2n+1}(\theta)\Bigr]\)\cr$$
>
> Here's the same expression in Nemeth which I entered directly. Please 
> let me
> know if I've made any errors.
>
> sin (2n+1).t .k im e^(2n+1)i.t
> .k im (cos .t + isin .t)^2n+1
> .k ".,s<k .k #0%n]-#1^k(2n+1%2k+1)
> sin^2k+1 .t cos^2(n-k) .t
> .k @(".,s<n .k #0%n]-#1^k(2n+1%2k+1)
> cot^2(n-k) .t@) sin^2n+1 .t
>
>
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