How to make a presentation that includes math symbols?

I've found that the secret is (1) good tools to create equations, plus (2) liberal use of arrows and text, plus (3) animations linking the two.

I've found the following two programs to be indispensable for writing talks:

• LateXiT for the Mac
• KLaTeXFormula for a number of OSs, similar to latexit but less functional

The goal is to make the math (1) visually distinctive, so that the reader can easily tell when you're discussing an equation, and (2) easy to interpret. Remember, in a paper, you have text such as "...where n is the number of..." after the equation is shown. This typically isn't done in research talks, and even worse, once you're off the slide, the reader has to simply remember what the equation was; they can't flip back a page.

My technique (you can see it in action in this presentation) is to put equations in a unique font (I use Times New Roman, with bolding and italics), and using the above tools to typeset equations in latex and insert them as images as necessary. As you introduce each equation, explain all the variables using text and arrows. Every variable should be explained... yes, this is slow, but learning is slow. If you're going to re-use the same equation multiple times, put it in the top-right corner of the slide - with arrows and text sometimes included - so that (1) they remember what you're talking about, and (2) so you can refer back to those equations.

If you're on OS X, then a great solution is to use the LaTeXiT package, which allows you to create graphics files for individual LaTeX equations, which can then be copy-and-pasted into your favorite presentations program (Keynote, LibreOffice, Powerpoint, or even LaTeX Beamer if you have a suitable penchant for irony).

For other systems, options include KLatexFormula, and of course the well-known (but also not free) MathType.

But I prefer LaTeXiT, as it gives you the classic LaTeX look and precision control, while also making it very easy to cut and paste your work. (You can even save equations if you want to use them later.)

It involves some Latex programming, but you can do all of these things with Beamer and Tikz; see for instance http://www.texample.net/tikz/examples/beamer-arrows/ and https://sites.google.com/site/kaarebmikkelsen/in-the-news/fancyequationsinlatexbeamerwithtikz.

Sample image from the first link:

Essentially, Tikz allows you to remember the positions of the elements in each picture (using \tikzstyle{every picture}+=[remember picture]), and then add popups, markers and arrows between them as an overlay over the already typeset page (using \begin{tikzpicture}[overlay]).

The main benefit with respect to other solutions is the quality and consistency of Latex typesetting, which we all know and love. The main drawback is the (possibly) cumbersome Latex programming, which we all know and loathe.

Also, it's all plain text (with simplifies automation, version control...)