ASCIIMathML: now everyone can type MathML

As explained in the previous articles in this series [1] and [2], it is extremely cumbersome to type MathML directly. This article describes a simple linear syntax which can be transformed into MathML. Using this syntax, it is easy to write a web page containing MathML. However, the really exciting thing about ASCIIMathML is that it allows you to create dynamic web pages where the person viewing the web page can themselves generate (good looking) mathematics on the page (for example as an answer to a question). This makes ASCIIMathML particularly well suited for interactive student web pages and as a tool for electronic mathematical communication. Indeed this was the aim of the original creator of ASCIIMathML, Peter Jipsen at Chapmann University and some of the applications he has designed for students are mentioned in Section 4 of this article. (Note: ASCIIMathML is also called ASCIIMath and I will use both names.)