[Software] Forget Excel: This is how you can solve equations in Word

[Draeno]

 

Over the years, Microsoft Word has not become the best text editor because it was the first to become po[CENSORED]r. Unlike other apps that came first, like WhatsApp, Microsoft has never been satisfied with being the first in its category and with each new version, it introduces new features. One of the functions available in Word that very few users know about is the possibility of solving equations in Word without having to use Excel.

This does not mean that we can use Word as a substitute for Excel, but we can use it on a regular basis to carry out certain types of operations, mainly simple, that do not require complex formulas that we will only find in Excel. 

 

Equations in Word
Word allows us to write equations to solve or use one of the ones that the application includes by default as a template and where we only have to modify the values to calculate the result.

Among the equations available as a template in Word and that we can use, we find:

circle area
expansion of a sum
Taylor expansion
quadratic formula
Trigonometric identity (2 models)
Binomial Theorem
Pythagoras theorem
In addition, we can also access more equations through Office.com such as:

mode block integral
Gaussian integral
Accelerated movement
Rotation
polynomial expansion
pegative exponent
Fraction multiplication
Newton's law of gravitation
Laplacian in coordinates
To use any of the different models of equations that Word makes available to us, we go to the Insert ribbon and on the right, just at the end, click on Insert. Next, we go to the beginning of the Equation ribbon, and click on Equation preceded by the Pi symbol to access all the formula options that it makes available to us.

 

Once we have selected the type of equation that we want to solve in Word, we click on the box where the equation is displayed and we modify the equation if necessary, either to adapt it to what we are looking for, to expand it or to subtract commands.

How to write a concrete equation
If among all the options available natively or through Office.com, we can't find the one we're looking for, or we don't have the time to search for it, we can write it directly in Word.

To do this, we create a new Word document and go to the Insert ribbon and click on Equation. Next, in the new ribbon, Equation, we click on the Equation Inking button and using the mouse we write the formula that we want to solve. As we write the formula, Word will recognize the symbols to transform them into recognizable characters.

 

If we do not want to write the equation using the mouse or the touch screen if our equipment incorporates it, we can write it using the symbols available in the Equation ribbon, symbols that are shown to the right of the Equation ink option.

The functionality to write equations in Word is available natively without the need to install any external plugins, as was the case in older versions of Word. This option is only available through the Office / Microsoft 365 subscription, so we will not find it in the free version available online.