BrushSearch Web Interface
Math search engine with pen-based inteface
BrushSearch allows one to write a mathematical expression by hand or directly enter a latex expression, provide keywords, and specify constraints, wildcards, and search preferences to search Wiki articles or Math Stack Exchange for best matches. You can find more information about the BrushSearch system below or try it yourself!
BrushSearch SystemBrushSearch Demo
Overview of the BrushSearch system to show features and usage
BrushSearch System Features
Overview of the BrushSearch system to show features and usage
Handwritting Editing Tools:
The interface provides basic functionalities such as write, undo, and clear along with scratch out gesture for deleting ink and selection gesture to choose ink to duplicate, move, or delete.
Recognition Correction:
The user can highlight any subexpression (press and hold on a symbol inside the subexpression to expand the selection) then choose one of the alternatives suggested by the recognizer to replace the selected subexpression.
Recognizer Training:
One can train the recognizer to better recognize one's own handwritting. The interface allows the user to provide multiple samples for any symbols for the recognizer to use during recognition.
Wildcards:
During the search, the user might want a symbol in the query to represent a specific type in the search results. All symbols in the expression are extracted and the user can choose from any of the supported types: variable, number, fraction, radical, text, bracketed expression (including matrices), or any expression. If no type is requested, the search engine assumes exact match.
Search Parameters:
One can use the sliding bars to specify two parameters: the importance of keyword matches compared to the mathematical expression matches; and the importance of matching repeated symbols in the query when they exist. For example, here it might be very important to the user that the "n" in the limits of the integral stays the same in the results (regardless of its type).
Highlighting Search Results:
It is helpful for users to locate their desired information through highlighting both keywords and formulas. Shades of the highlight color reflect how well a document's formulas match the query formula. Hovering over the highlighted expression displays the percentage of match between the expression and the query.
Multiple Corpora:
The user can choose a mathematical corpus to search. Currently, only Wikipedia and Math Stack Exchange are supported but we are planning to add more.