View Proposal #505

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ID505
First NameMitchel T.
Last NameKeller
InstitutionMorningside College
Speaker Categoryfaculty
Title of TalkPreTeXt: One Input, Many Beautiful Outputs
AbstractIn this talk, we will take a look at some of the features of PreTeXt (formerly MathBook XML), which is a language designed for authors to be able to use a master source file to produce a variety of output formats. A PreTeXt source file marks up the structure of the document (theorems, proofs, exercises, examples, figures, etc.) using an XML syntax that may remind users of HTML, but with a total focus on structure and not presentation. Mathematical expressions in the source are marked up using LaTeX notation. Support for including a variety of interactive elements in the document is available, with additional interactive features planned. While most existing PreTeXt projects are book-length, the system is now mature and stable enough that interested individuals are encouraged to use it for developing materials for their courses, regardless of whether they might eventually develop into a larger project. PreTeXt source files are easily converted to HTML that looks good on both desktops and mobile devices and LaTeX for producing print versions. A conversion from PreTeXt to the EPUB format used by Apple's iBooks is under development, and a PreTeXt to Kindle conversion will follow. The speaker is the author of one open-source text written in PreTeXt (Applied Combinatorics with W.T. Trotter), co-editor of the PreTeXt edition of Bogart's Combinatorics through Guided Discovery (with Oscar Levin and Kent E. Morrison), Production Editor for Active Calculus by Boelkins et al., and is a core member of the group guiding further development of PreTeXt.
Subject area(s)Mathematical writing/publishing
Suitable for undergraduates?Y
Day PreferenceEither
Computer Needed?Y
Bringing a laptop?N
Overhead Needed?N
Software requests
Special Needs
Date Submitted09/16/2018
Year2018