Digital Mathematics Textbooks

Math Working Group,

Greetings. There is an upcoming digital publishing workshop (http://www.w3.org/QA/2012/11/w3c_and_digital_publishing.html, http://www.w3.org/2012/08/electronic-books/topics.html). The topics of that workshop illustrate the importance of MathML to digital books and textbooks and that browsers could render digital books and textbooks.  Mathematical and scientific notations are important to education and in particular with regard to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) objectives.

When we envision upcoming digital books and textbooks, we can envision, from ink and paper to digital, precise mathematical semantics for every formula, machine-utilizable proofs for each mathematical proof discussion, videos, and 3D graphics for each graph and diagram.  Some topics for discussion, as interesting to the Math Working Group, include:

Dictionaries, Glossaries, Indexes, Lexicons and Mathematical Content Dictionaries

In addition to EPUB dictionaries, glossaries and indexes (http://code.google.com/p/epub-revision/wiki/DictionariesGlossaries, http://code.google.com/p/epub-revision/wiki/IndexesMainPage) there are computer lexicon topics (http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-voice/2012OctDec/0009.html) and digital book and textbook package documents could contain mathematical semantics, e.g. OpenMath CD's (http://www.openmath.org/cd/index.html), providing features and clipboarding interoperability (https://github.com/mathjax/MathJax/wiki/Usage-of-the-semantics-element).

Featureful Markup for Math Equations

Conversationally, we can consider one or more ways to markup a math equation or formula, between paragraphs, in an HTML 5.1 document, digital book or textbook, for enhanced stylizability and for the most features.
 
Mathematical Proofs in Digital Textbooks

Ontologies and Languages for Representing Mathematical Knowledge on the Semantic Web (http://www.semantic-web-journal.net/sites/default/files/swj122_2.pdf).

RDFa and HTML: http://www.w3.org/TR/rdfa-in-html/.

Complex Document Structure in Digital Books and Digital Textbooks

In addition to RDFa for mathematical proofs, possible in digital textbooks is more complex document structure than with ink and paper textbooks. In some approaches to RDFa, RDF:alt, RDF:bag, and RDF:seq could be of use for tabbed content or other abstractions for navigating complex document structure. Multiple mathematical proofs or explanations of mathematical proofs, for example for different learning styles, could be in a tabbed, multitouch slider, or other navigational components in digital books and textbooks.

Enhanced Web-based and Desktop Search of Digital Books and Textbooks

Enhanced Navigation and Features

Mathematical and Scientific Notations and Handwriting Recognition

http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-html/2012Dec/0067.html.

SMIL and 3D Graphics

Beyond 3D graphics are interactive 3D graphics, panning, rotating, or zooming with hyperlinks in the accompanying text, or synchronized to audio overlays or speech synthesis with SMIL.

Natural Language Generation, Speech Synthesis, Mathematics and Argumentation

Some previous research about math and speech synthesis is at http://lpf-esi.fe.up.pt/~audiomath/index_en.html and http://lpf-esi.fe.up.pt/~audiomath/index_en.html . Some topical Voice Browser Working Group discussions include Natural Language Generation, SSML, and Prosody (http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-voice/2012OctDec/0004.html), Speech To SSML (http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-voice/2012OctDec/0005.html) and Computer Lexicons (http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-voice/2012OctDec/0009.html).

With regard to proof and argument verbalization, some other researchers include: Nancy Green (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs.cmu.edu/user/ngreen/public-web-pages/ngreen-public.html), Floriana Grasso (http://www.csc.liv.ac.uk/~floriana/Home.html) and Ingrid Zukerman (http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~ingrid/).



Kind regards,

Adam Sobieski