doboprobodyne

Saw this nascent #macropad for #mathematicians and thought of #mathstodon

Their slogan is "Type equations at the speed of thought with this specialized keypad".

https://www.crowdsupply.com/summa-cogni/mathpad

I'm not a mathematician, so if I've missed any hashtags out please feel free to add them by reply!

#math #maths #mathematics #computing #latex #knuth #keyboard #keyboards #typing #macropads

Jun 14, 2025 at 9:35pmWeb
Show threadDan Drake 🦆Jun 14, 2025

@doboprobodyne one tiny problem with the "type equations at the speed of thought" -- most #mathematicians can *already* type equations and such at the speed of thought, because TeX notation is so deeply ingrained in their brains/fingers. For example, if I'm thinking of

\[ \int_0^{2\pi} \sin^2(x)\, dx \]

then I just automatically type

\int_0^{2\pi} \sin^2(x)\,mathrm{d}x

without really thinking about it, and I don't have to take my hands off my keyboard.

That said, it looks like a fun little device, especially if it's QMK compatible.

Show threaddoboprobodyneJun 14, 2025
@ddrake crikey! That's very cool. And rather more versatile than a macropad. May I ask how long it might take to acquire said superpower? I was looking at the macropad thinking that memorising the chords for specific symbols might take some time... And then of course one might find oneself doing - for sake of example - radio maths for a few years, and decide to re-jig one's macropad... Argh!
Show threadScott NevilleJun 14, 2025
@doboprobodyne and for anyone excited about this concept, I just mention scripts like autohotkey which makes new keyboardings pretty painless. Most chatgpt variants can make the code for you (or very close) if you wish. I push right alt and all my usual keys are replaced with latex code for various common environments (easier on the wrists than pressing '/' so often).