input-formats.md

Supported Input Formats

Guide to LaTeX, MathML, and plaintext/Unicode math syntax supported by Accessible Math Reader.

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Plaintext / Unicode Math Input (NEW)

The easiest way to enter math — just type or paste everyday notation.

Basic Arithmetic

Expression	Input	Speech Output
Addition	a + b	"a plus b"
Subtraction	a - b	"a minus b"
Multiplication	a * b or a × b	"a times b"
Division	a / b or a ÷ b	"a divided by b"

Fractions (Parenthesised Division)

Expression	Input	Speech Output
Simple	a/b	"a divided by b"
Grouped	(a+b)/(c-d)	"(a plus b) divided by (c minus d)"

Exponents & Subscripts

Expression	Input	Speech Output
Caret	x^2	"x to the power of 2"
Double-star	x**2	"x to the power of 2"
Unicode	x²	"x to the power of 2"
Subscript	x_i	"x sub i"
Unicode sub	x₁	"x sub 1"

All Unicode superscript digits (⁰¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹) and subscript digits (₀₁₂₃₄₅₆₇₈₉) are recognised.

Square Root

Input	Speech Output
sqrt(x)	"square root of x"
√(x)	"square root of x"
√x	"square root of x"

Unicode Greek Letters

You can paste Greek characters directly:

Character	Name	Character	Name
α	alpha	π	pi
β	beta	σ	sigma
γ	gamma	θ	theta
δ	delta	ω	omega
ε	epsilon	λ	lambda
Δ	Delta	Σ	Sigma
Π	Pi	Ω	Omega

Unicode Symbols

Symbol	Input	Meaning
∑	∑	Summation
∫	∫	Integral
∞	∞	Infinity
±	±	Plus or minus
≤	≤ or <=	Less than or equal to
≥	≥ or >=	Greater than or equal to
≠	≠ or !=	Not equal to
≈	≈	Approximately equal

Functions

Named math functions are recognised in plaintext:

sin(x)   cos(x)   tan(x)   log(x)   ln(x)   exp(x)   lim

Plaintext Examples

x² + y² = z²
(a + b) / (c - d)
sqrt(x² + y²) + π
sin(x) * cos(x)
∫ x² dx
∑ i = 1 + 2 + 3

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LaTeX Input

Basic Syntax

Expression	LaTeX	Speech Output
Fraction	\frac{a}{b}	"start fraction a over b end fraction"
Superscript	x^2	"x to the power of 2"
Subscript	x_i	"x sub i"
Square Root	\sqrt{x}	"square root of x"
nth Root	\sqrt[n]{x}	"nth root of x"

Greek Letters

Letter	LaTeX	Letter	LaTeX
α	\alpha	π	\pi
β	\beta	σ	\sigma
γ	\gamma	θ	\theta
δ	\delta	ω	\omega
ε	\epsilon	λ	\lambda
Δ	\Delta	Σ	\Sigma
Π	\Pi	Ω	\Omega

Operators and Relations

Symbol	LaTeX	Symbol	LaTeX
+	+	=	=
-	-	≠	\neq
×	\times	<	<
÷	\div	>	>
±	\pm	≤	\leq
∓	\mp	≥	\geq

Advanced Constructs

Summation

\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i

Speech: "summation from i equals 1 to n of x sub i"

Product

\prod_{i=1}^{n} x_i

Speech: "product from i equals 1 to n of x sub i"

Integral

\int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} dx

Speech: "integral from 0 to infinity of e to the power of negative x squared d x"

Limit

\lim_{x \to 0} \frac{\sin x}{x}

Speech: "limit as x approaches 0 of start fraction sine of x over x end fraction"

Matrix

\begin{pmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{pmatrix}

Speech: "2 by 2 matrix, row 1: a, b; row 2: c, d"

Functions

Function	LaTeX	Speech Output
sin	\sin x	"sine of x"
cos	\cos x	"cosine of x"
tan	\tan x	"tangent of x"
log	\log x	"logarithm of x"
ln	\ln x	"natural log of x"
exp	\exp x	"exponential of x"

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MathML Input

The parser supports both content and presentation MathML.

Example: Fraction

<math xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML">
  <mfrac>
    <mi>a</mi>
    <mi>b</mi>
  </mfrac>
</math>

Supported Elements

Element	Purpose
<mfrac>	Fractions
<msup>	Superscripts
<msub>	Subscripts
<msqrt>	Square roots
<mroot>	Nth roots
<mrow>	Grouping
<mi>	Identifiers
<mn>	Numbers
<mo>	Operators
<mtext>	Text

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Auto-Detection

The parser automatically detects input format:

reader = MathReader()

# Detects as MathML
reader.to_speech('<math><mi>x</mi></math>')

# Detects as LaTeX (contains backslash commands)
reader.to_speech(r"\frac{a}{b}")

# Detects as plaintext (no backslash commands, no XML)
reader.to_speech("x² + y² = z²")
reader.to_speech("(a+b)/(c-d)")
reader.to_speech("sqrt(x) + π")

Detection rules (applied in order):

1. If starts with <math or <?xml, parse as MathML
2. If contains backslash commands (\word), parse as LaTeX
3. Otherwise, parse as Plaintext / Unicode math

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Error Handling

from accessible_math_reader import MathParser
from accessible_math_reader.core.parser import ParseError

parser = MathParser()

try:
    tree = parser.parse(r"\frac{a}")  # Missing argument
except ParseError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e.message}")
    print(f"Position: {e.position}")
    # Error: Expected second argument for \frac
    # Position: 7