MathML Superscripts

MathML superscript is created with the <msup> tag. You have to place the base inside the <msup> tag, followed by the superscript.

Example

If you want to write x², use the following MathML code:

Equivalent MathML code:

1. <math xmlns=’http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML’ display=’block’>  
2.   <msup>  
3.     <mi>x</mi>  
4.     <mn>2</mn>  
5.   </msup>  
6. </math>  

MathML element <msup> acts more like a function than a normal HTML markup tag. In the above MathML code, the base and the superscript can be thought of as two “arguments” passed to the <msup> “function.” Both arguments need to be a single MathML element (e.g., <mi> or <mn>). It is fine for working with atomic values like x and 2, but things get more complicated once we start working with compound expressions.

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Grouping Sub-Expressions

Group of sub expression is used to include more than one element. It cannot be passed directly into <msup>. Instead, you will have to use <mrow> tag to group the expression, as shown below.

For example: If you want to write e^2x+1, use the following MathML code:

Equivalent MathML code:

1.  <math xmlns=’http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML’ display=’block’>    
2.   <msup>  
3.     <mi>e</mi>  
4.     <mrow>  
5.       <mn>2</mn>  
6.       <mi>x</mi>  
7.       <mo>+</mo>  
8.       <mn>1</mn>  
9.     </mrow>  
10.   </msup>  
11. </math>  

It will display the expression like this:

To create a complex base expression, you have to wrap the superscript argument in an <mrow> element.

For example: If you want to write an expression (5x ? 3y)2, use the following MathML code:

Equivalent MathMl code:

1. <math xmlns=’http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML’ display=’block’>  
2.   <msup>  
3.     <mrow>  
4.       <mo>(</mo>  
5.         <mrow>  
6.           <mrow><mn>5</mn><mi>x</mi></mrow>  
7.           <mo>–</mo>  
8.           <mrow><mn>3</mn><mi>y</mi></mrow>  
9.         </mrow>  
10.       <mo>)</mo>  
11.     </mrow>  
12.     <mn>2</mn>  
13.   </msup>  
14. </math>  

Supporting Browsers:

Element	Chrome	IE	Firefox (Gecko)	Opera	Safari
<msup>	Not Supported	Not Supported	Supported	Not Supported	Only Basic Support