homepage: Dr. Carol JVF Burns
This page is no longer valid, since my site now uses MathJax
(I'm keeping it here only for historical reasons.)
For full functionality of Carol J.V. Fisher's website, you need:
- a PC, not a MAC
- INTERNET EXPLORER 6.0 and above (no other browsers)
(check your version; see below)
- MathPlayer installed (free and easy; see below)
- You may need some additional fonts on your computer for the special symbols that are needed in mathematics.
(free and easy; see below)
This web page tells you how to get everything set up.
CHECKING YOUR VERSION OF INTERNET EXPLORER
To check your current version of Internet Explorer,
from the "File Edit View..."
toolbar, click on "Help... About".
It needs to say "Version: 6.0" or above.
The only digit that is important is the one before the decimal point; it must be a 6 or greater.
Don't worry about any of the digit(s) after the decimal point(s).
Click here if you need to upgrade Internet Explorer
Some people who routinely use another browser (like FireFox) just keep Internet Explorer on their desktop
to use for my site.
INSTALLING MATHPLAYER
MathPlayer is free software that allows Internet Explorer to understand Math Markup Language (MathML).
Without MathPlayer, Internet Explorer will not be able to display the mathematics written with MathML.
If you already have MathPlayer installed,
then the two expressions below will look basically the same
(a horizontal fraction, "a"
divided by "b", multiplied by "c"):
- this first expression is an image:
Almost everybody should be able to see this picture!
- this second expression uses MathML:
a
b c
You'll only see this correctly if you have MathPlayer properly installed.
If the second expression is garbage (or not there at all),
then click on the button to download MathPlayer:
IT'S FREE!! IT'S EASY!! (Click on Download MathPlayer Setup and follow the instructions.)
INSTALLING MATHEMATICS FONTS FOR YOUR COMPUTER
MathPlayer uses the fonts on your computer when displaying characters.
Many math characters are not included in standard fonts.
These characters are included in the MathType fonts, which are available for
free from Design Science.
For example, here are PICTURES of a blackboard bold R and Z : 
and 
Here are the same symbols using MathML: ℝ and ℤ
If you have MathPlayer installed (above), but you aren't seeing the same thing in both places, then you need the MathType fonts!
To get the MathType fonts, CLICK HERE.
(You'll be clicking the "Download MathType for Windows Fonts" button and following the instructions.)