generated from w3c/note-respec-repo-template
-
Notifications
You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 9
Expand file tree
/
Copy pathcharter-2026.html
More file actions
845 lines (754 loc) · 37.9 KB
/
charter-2026.html
File metadata and controls
845 lines (754 loc) · 37.9 KB
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
213
214
215
216
217
218
219
220
221
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262
263
264
265
266
267
268
269
270
271
272
273
274
275
276
277
278
279
280
281
282
283
284
285
286
287
288
289
290
291
292
293
294
295
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353
354
355
356
357
358
359
360
361
362
363
364
365
366
367
368
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407
408
409
410
411
412
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450
451
452
453
454
455
456
457
458
459
460
461
462
463
464
465
466
467
468
469
470
471
472
473
474
475
476
477
478
479
480
481
482
483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491
492
493
494
495
496
497
498
499
500
501
502
503
504
505
506
507
508
509
510
511
512
513
514
515
516
517
518
519
520
521
522
523
524
525
526
527
528
529
530
531
532
533
534
535
536
537
538
539
540
541
542
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567
568
569
570
571
572
573
574
575
576
577
578
579
580
581
582
583
584
585
586
587
588
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622
623
624
625
626
627
628
629
630
631
632
633
634
635
636
637
638
639
640
641
642
643
644
645
646
647
648
649
650
651
652
653
654
655
656
657
658
659
660
661
662
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687
688
689
690
691
692
693
694
695
696
697
698
699
700
701
702
703
704
705
706
707
708
709
710
711
712
713
714
715
716
717
718
719
720
721
722
723
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748
749
750
751
752
753
754
755
756
757
758
759
760
761
762
763
764
765
766
767
768
769
770
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795
796
797
798
799
800
801
802
803
804
805
806
807
808
809
810
811
812
813
814
815
816
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841
842
843
844
845
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en-US"><head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<title>Math Working Group Charter</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="https://www.w3.org/2026/01/charter-style.css">
<meta name="generator" content="w3c-charter-assistant"><script type="application/json" id="charter-assistant-settings">{
"group": "wg/math",
"workMode": "rec",
"a11y-impact": "true",
"template": {
"sha": "b43b4eb5f52bb0fee2beeb8e98f8266e9ef6ad77",
"date": "2026-01-29T10:38:13Z"
},
"timeStamp": "2026-03-10T09:48:05.480Z"
}</script><script src="https://www.w3.org/PM/Groups/lib/check-charter.js" type="module" id="charter-assistant-checker"></script></head>
<body>
<header id="header">
<aside>
<ul id="navbar">
<li><a href="#background">Background</a></li>
<li><a href="#scope">Scope</a></li>
<li><a href="#deliverables">Deliverables</a></li>
<li><a href="#success-criteria">Success Criteria</a></li>
<li><a href="#coordination">Coordination</a></li>
<li><a href="#participation">Participation</a></li>
<li><a href="#communication">Communication</a></li>
<li><a href="#decisions">Decision Policy</a></li>
<li><a href="#patentpolicy">Patent Policy</a></li>
<li></li>
<li><a href="#licensing">Licensing</a></li>
<li><a href="#about">About this Charter</a></li>
</ul>
</aside>
<p>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/"><img alt="W3C" height="120" src="https://www.w3.org/assets/logos/w3c-2025/svg/w3c.svg" width="120"></a>
</p>
</header>
<main>
<h1 id="title"><i class="todo">DRAFT</i> Math Working Group Charter</h1>
<!-- replace DRAFT with PROPOSED when the AC review starts -->
<!-- delete PROPOSED after AC review completed -->
<p class="mission">The <strong>mission</strong> of the <a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/">Math Working Group</a> is to promote the inclusion of mathematics on the Web so that it is a first class citizen of the web that displays well, is accessible, and is searchable.</p>
<!-- the link to the group is ALWAYS that available from https://www.w3.org/groups/wg or https://www.w3.org/groups/ig because each group page can then point to a different homepage, but not the other way around. -->
<div class="noprint">
<p class="join"><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/join/">Join the Math Working Group.</a></p>
</div>
<!-- replace "draft charter" with "proposed charter" when the AC review starts -->
<!-- replace GitHub link and issues link to the specific charter in GH and its issues repo -->
<!-- delete the whole paragraph after AC review completed -->
<p class="issue"> This proposed charter is available
on <a href="https://github.com/w3c/mathml-docs/charter-2026.html">GitHub</a>.
Feel free to raise <a href="https://github.com/w3c/mathml/issues">issues</a>.
</p>
<div id="details">
<table class="summary-table">
<tbody><tr id="Status">
<th>
Charter Status
</th>
<td>
See the <a class="" href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/charters/">group status page</a> and <a href="#history">detailed change history</a>.
</td>
</tr>
<tr id="Duration">
<th>
Start date
</th>
<td>
<i class="todo">[TPD]</i>
</td>
</tr>
<tr id="CharterEnd">
<th>
End date
</th>
<td>
<i class="todo">[TBD]</i> (Start date + 2 years)
</td>
</tr>
<tr id="Chairs">
<th>
Chairs
</th>
<td><ul><li>Brian Kardell (Igalia)</li><li>Neil Soiffer (W3C Invited Experts)</li></ul></td>
</tr>
<tr id="TeamContacts">
<th>
Team Contacts
</th>
<td><a href="mailto:bert@w3.org">Bert Bos</a> (0.1 <abbr title="Full-Time Equivalent">FTE</abbr>)</td>
</tr>
<tr id="MeetingSchedule">
<th>
Meeting Schedule
</th>
<td>
<strong>Teleconferences:</strong> two 1-hour calls working on different aspects of MathML to be held weekly to monthly to resolve issues as needed.
<br>
<strong>Face-to-face:</strong> no face-to-face meetings are currently planned, but the group may choose to have one or more face-to-face meetings if needed and if circumstances allow.
<br>
See also this <a class="" href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/calendar/">group calendar</a>
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div id="background" class="background">
<h2>Motivation and Background</h2>
<p>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/">MathML </a>
is a markup language for encoding and communicating mathematics.The need for
mathematical rendering on the web was evident from the
<a href="https://www.w3.org/MarkUp/HTMLPlus/htmlplus_45.html">earliest days of the Web at CERN</a>,
and MathML was among the first specifications taken up and developed by the W3C in the mid to late 1990's XML/XHTML era.
It received much attention and has created a vibrant ecosystem of implementations and integration outside of web browsers.
At the start of 2023, Chromium support of MathML Core was enabled by default so that all major browsers now support MathML without the need of third party libraries.
MathML Core is a subset of the full MathML recommendation. Additional work is needed to expand MathML Core to encompass more features used in mathematical layout and to resolve some open issues which were put off to a future time such as links in MathML.
</p>
</div>
<section id="scope" class="scope">
<h2>Scope</h2>
<p>
MathML Core is currently in CR and MathML 4 has started horizontal review in preparation
for the transition to CR. The continuation of this group will all time to move these and the XML entities to recommendation status.
The goals of these recommendations are:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
Wide adoption by browsers of a core set of presentational elements so that authors can be assured that mathematics will be displayed similarly in all browsers, without having to rely on external libraries to do the display.
</li>
<li>
Increased accessibility of Presentation MathML for
mathematical notation achieved by allowing a means
of specifying relevant mathematical intent, as well as by
providing guidelines for interpreting Presentation MathML in the
absence of additional information.
</li>
</ul>
<p>
The Working Group will continue to provide a thorough review and refinement of MathML Core Level 1’s
rendering, including integration with current CSS and basic DOM, and providing tests and opening bugs.
</p>
<p>
The Working Group will take up new work looking for areas where MathML Core should be expanded to a MathML Core Level 2.
It will also use feedback to look for areas where MathML 4 Core Concepts and Properties should be extended to support
better accessibility.
</p>
<p>
The scope of the Math Working Group includes the following:
</p>
<ul>
<li>
Development of Recommendations as outlined above.
</li>
<li>
Continued development of test suites to check conformance of implementations.
</li>
<li>
Clarifications to the current use of Web Platform technologies, such as supported JavaScript APIs and CSS modules.
</li>
<li>
Enhancements and improvements to internationalization/localization in consultation with a broad international community.
</li>
<li>
Continued integration of errata and bug fixes.
</li>
<li>
Integration of new and existing Web Platform technologies, including, but not limited to:
<ul>
<li>DOM APIs</li>
<li>Shadow DOM and Custom Elements</li>
<li>CSS</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Integration with tools above and beyond browsers.</li>
<li>Refinements to the MathML markup and processing model that enhance accessibility.</li>
</ul>
<section id="section-out-of-scope">
<h3 id="out-of-scope">Out of Scope</h3>
<ul class="out-of-scope">
<li>Changes that would cause legacy MathML that has significant usage to stop working on the Web Platform or elsewhere.</li>
<li>Significant changes in MathML 4 to Content MathML beyond those useful for accessibility.
Larger changes will be considered for MathML 5 after gaining experience and feedback from proposed additions to Presentation MathML and MathML Core.</li>
</ul>
</section>
</section>
<section id="deliverables">
<h2>
Deliverables
</h2>
<p>Updated document status is available on the <a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/publications/">group publication status page</a>.</p>
<p id="draft-state"><i>Draft state</i> indicates the state of the deliverable at the time of the charter approval.
<i>Expected completion</i> indicates when the deliverable is projected to become a Recommendation, or otherwise reach a stable state
<section id="normative">
<h3>
Normative Specifications
</h3>
<p>
The Working Group will deliver the following W3C normative specifications:
</p>
<!-- https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/deliverables/ -->
<dl data-timestamp="2026-03-10T09:48:05.467Z">
<dt id="mathml-core" class="spec"><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/mathml-core/" rel="versionof">MathML Core</a></dt>
<dd>
<p>This specification defines a core subset of Mathematical Markup Language, or MathML, that is suitable for browser implementation. MathML is a markup language for describing mathematical notation and capturing both its structure and content. The goal of MathML is to enable mathematics to be served, received, and processed on the World Wide Web, just as HTML has enabled this functionality for text.
</p>
<p><b>Draft state:</b> Candidate Recommendation</p>
<p><b>Expected completion:</b> [Q4 2026]</p>
<p><b>Latest publication:</b> <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/2025/CR-mathml-core-20250624/">2025-06-24</a></p>
<p><b>Exclusion Draft:</b>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/2025/CR-mathml-core-20250624/">https://www.w3.org/TR/2025/CR-mathml-core-20250624/</a><br>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/mid/cfe-15653-dfbd8ce62dcb2497db45e3ded6d7a6e9d6806ab1@w3.org">Exclusion period</a>
began on 2025-06-24 and
ended on 2025-08-23.
</p>
<p><b>Exclusion Draft Charter</b>: Produced under Working Group Charter:
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2023.html">https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2023.html</a> </p>
</dd>
<dt id="mathml4" class="spec"><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/mathml4/" rel="versionof">Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) Version 4.0</a></dt>
<dd>
<p> This specification defines the Mathematical Markup Language, or MathML. MathML is a markup language for describing mathematical notation and capturing both its structure and content. The goal of MathML is to enable mathematics to be served, received, and processed on the World Wide Web, just as HTML has enabled this functionality for text.</p>
<p>This specification of the markup language MathML is intended primarily for a readership consisting of those who will be developing or implementing renderers or editors using it, or software that will communicate using MathML as a protocol for import or export. It is not a User's Guide but rather a reference document.</p>
<p>MathML can be used to encode both mathematical notation and mathematical content. About thirty-eight of the MathML tags describe abstract notational structures, while another about one hundred and seventy provide a way of unambiguously specifying the intended meaning of an expression. Additional chapters discuss how the MathML content and presentation elements interact, and how MathML renderers might be implemented and should interact with browsers. Finally, this document addresses the issue of special characters used for mathematics, their handling in MathML, their presence in Unicode, and their relation to fonts. </p>
<p><b>Draft state:</b> Working Draft</p>
<p><b>Expected completion:</b> [Q1–4 YYYY]</p>
<p><b>Latest publication:</b> <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/mathml4/">2026-03-12</a></p>
<p><b>Exclusion Draft:</b>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/2022/WD-mathml4-20220908/">https://www.w3.org/TR/2022/WD-mathml4-20220908/</a><br>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/mid/cfe-10410-f56313d84c8b0f1aa342d3f70b7ddc955239ea9a@w3.org">Exclusion period</a>
began on 2022-09-08 and
ended on 2023-02-05.
</p>
<p><b>Exclusion Draft Charter</b>: Produced under Working Group Charter:
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2021.html">https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2021.html</a> </p>
</dd>
</dl>
</section>
<section id="incubation">
<!-- If no incubation or not a Working Group, delete the section. -->
<h3>
Tentative Deliverables
</h3>
<p>Depending on the <a href="https://www.w3.org/guide/incubation.html">incubation</a> progress, interest from multiple implementers, and the consensus
of the Group participants, the Working Group may adopt the following documents
as Rec-track specifications:</p>
<dl>
<dt id="mathml-core2" class="spec"><a href="#">MathML Core Level 2</a></dt>
<dd>
<p>This specification will address some features left out of Level 1 due to time and implementation constraints. It will provide guidance on improving MathML within the evolving Web Platform and enhancing the descriptions of generally polyfilling or extending MathML, using technologies such as a Shadow DOM, Custom Elements, the CSS Layout API or other Houdini APIs. It will also address questions such as linking and accessibility through suggested accessibility mappings of elements and attributes.
</p>
<p class="draft-status"><b>Draft state:</b>
Features identified for possible inclusion in Core Level 2 can be found on the <a href="https://github.com/w3c/mathml-core/issues?q=state%3Aopen%20label%3Alevel-2">MathML Core</a> issue tracker.</p>
</dd>
</dl>
</section>
<section id="other-deliverables">
<h3>
Other Deliverables
</h3>
<p>
Other non-normative documents may be created such as:
</p>
<ul>
<li>Test suites and implementation reports for MathML Core.</li>
<li>Documentation of `intent` core concepts and properties to annotate Presentation MathML for accessibility.</li>
<li>Documentation of defined inference rules when `intent` properties are used.</li>
<li>A community repository for intent values and properties beyond those defined in a MathML 4 recommendation.</li>
<li>Polyfill implementations for MathML 4 features not in MathML Core.</li>
<li>At least one open-source (example code) MathML-to-speech/MathML-to-braille implementation that makes use of accessibility annotations.</li>
<li>At least one TeX-to-MathML converter that incorporates accessibility annotations in its MathML output.
<li>Code to convert Content MathML to Presentation MathML with accessibility annotations.</li>
<li>Analysis of mathematical notation usage in world-wide writing systems, including but not limited to non-LTR writing systems.</li>
<li>MathML Accessibility Technique Notes.</li>
</ul>
</section>
<section id="timeline">
<h3>Timeline</h3>
<p>These dates are not meant as deadlines; work may need to continue after these dates to ensure the quality of the deliverables.</p>
<ul>
<li>May 2026: Candidate Recommendation MathML 4</li>
<li>June 2026: First full implementation of all `intent` core concepts and properties in a screen reader</li>
<li>August 2026: community repository for intent values and properties opened for contributions</li>
<li>October 2026: Test suites and implementation reports for MathML Core</li>
<li>October 2026: Proposed Recommendation for MathML Core</li>
<li>December 2026: Implementation reports for MathML Core</li>
<li>December 2026: Proposed Recommendation for MathML 4</li>
<li>Feburary 2026: Polyfill implementations for MathML 4 features not in MathML Core</li>
</ul>
</section>
</section>
<section id="success-criteria">
<h2>Success Criteria</h2>
<!-- Testing and interop -->
<p>In order to advance beyond
<a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#RecsCR" title="Candidate Recommendation">Candidate Recommendation</a>, each normative specification is expected to have
<a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#implementation-experience">at least two independent interoperable
implementations</a> of every feature defined in the specification, where
interoperability can be verified by passing open test suites. In order to advance beyond Candidate Recommendation, each normative specification must have an open test suite of every feature defined in the specification.</p>
<p>There should be testing plans for each specification, starting from the earliest drafts.</p>
<p>
To promote interoperability, all changes made to specifications
in Candidate Recommendation
or to features that have deployed implementations
should have <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/testing/">tests</a>.
Testing efforts for MathML Core are conducted via the <a href="https://github.com/web-platform-tests/wpt">Web Platform Tests</a> project.
MathML 4 is a superset of MathML Core and can't be tested in the same way.
We expect at least two independent implementations of software that generates MathML 4 content and
at least two independent implementations by assistive technologies of MathML 4 features that are relevant.
</p>
<p> </p>
<!-- Horizontal review -->
<p>Each specification should contain separate sections detailing all known security and
privacy implications for implementers, Web authors, and users.</p>
<p id="a11y-section">
Each specification should contain a section on accessibility that describes the benefits and impacts, including ways specification features can be used to address them, and
recommendations for maximising accessibility in implementations.</p>
<!-- W3C Statements and Web Platform Design Principles -->
<p>This group is expected to be guided by the following documents:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/ethical-web-principles/">Ethical Web Principles</a>,</li>
<li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/privacy-principles/">Privacy Principles</a>,</li>
<li><a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/design-principles/">Web Platform Design Principles</a>.</li>
</ul>
<!-- Relevance and momentum -->
</section>
<section id="coordination">
<h2>Coordination</h2>
<p>For all specifications, this Working Group will seek <a href="https://www.w3.org/guide/documentreview/#how-to-get-horizontal-review">horizontal review</a> for
accessibility, internationalization, privacy, and security with the relevant Working and
Interest Groups, and with the <a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/other/tag/" title="Technical Architecture Group">TAG</a>.
Invitation for review must be issued during each major standards-track document transition, including
<a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#RecsWD" title="First Public Working Draft">FPWD</a>. The
Working Group is encouraged to engage collaboratively with the horizontal review groups throughout development of
each specification. The Working Group is advised to seek a review at least 3 months before first entering
<a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#RecsCR" title="Candidate Recommendation">CR</a> and is encouraged
to proactively notify the horizontal review groups when major changes occur in a specification following a review.</p>
<p>Additional technical coordination with the following Groups will be made, per the <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#WGCharter">W3C Process Document</a>:</p>
<section>
<h3 id="w3c-coordination">W3C Groups</h3><dl>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/Style/CSS/">CSS Working Group</a></dt>
<dd>The Math Working Group will contribute to and coordinate work with the CSS Working Group related to aligning the development and testing of new and existing CSS functionalities that are of interest to the MathML community. The group will designate liaisons to work with the CSS Working Group on issues as needed. Liaisons will ideally be participants of both groups.</dd>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/cg/wicg/">Web Platform Incubator Community Group</a></dt>
<dd>The Web Platform Incubator Community Group
(<a href="https://www.w3.org/community/wicg/">WICG</a>)
provides a lightweight venue for proposing and
discussing new web platform features, like new HTML
features or Web Platform APIs. Also, new technical
features arising during the development of MathML may
have relevance for the Web Platform in general, or ideas
developing for the Web Platform in general might be
developing in
<a href="https://www.w3.org/community/wicg">WICG</a>
which could be relevant to MathML. The MathML WG will make an effort to make sure these are explored further together within incubations in the Web Platform Incubator Community Group where appropriate.
</dd>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/apa/">Accessible Platform Architectures Working Group</a></dt>
<dd>The APA WG provides horizontal review of potential accessibility issues in the architecture, including knowledge domains for STEM accessibility, as well as of the accessibility impact of a specification. The MathML WG will request reviews and coordinate, and may nominate liaisons to ensure that these groups are aligned and working in concert toward accessible mathematics.</dd>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/ARIA/">ARIA Working Group</a></dt>
<dd>The ARIA Working Group is responsible for the development of ARIA and related Accessibility Mappings. The MathML WG will appoint a liaison and coordinate with the ARIA Working Group to provide the
<a href="https://w3c.github.io/mathml-aam/">MathML AAM</a>
and continue to improve the accessibility of that which is part of MathML.
</dd>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/pm/">Publishing Maintenance Working Group</a></dt>
<dd>MathML is used in EPUB documents for the display of math. Accessibility of all of the contents of an EPUB document is a priority of the group, and math accessibility has been a challenge for them due to uneven support of MathML in various reading systems. The MathML WG will work with the PM WG to ensure their needs are met with updates to the MathML recommendations.</dd>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/svg/">SVG Working Group</a></dt>
<dd>The SVG Working Group is responsible for the development of
<a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/SVG11/">SVG</a>.
While largely non-overlapping technically, SVG and MathML share similar origin stories and are both special in their integration with the HTML Parser specification and integration as
<a href="https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/dom.html%23embedded-content-category">embedded content</a>.
As such they have many similar challenges and efforts to align with the larger Web Platform and share common interests in providing common developer experiences and expectations. The Math Working Group will attempt to coordinate furthering these efforts with the SVG Working Group (and the
<a href="https://www.w3.org/community/svgcg/">SVG CG</a>).
</dd>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/cg/chem-web-pub/">Chemistry for the Web and Publishing Community Group</a> (Chem CG)</dt>
<dd>Chemical Formulas make use of mathematical notations. The Chem CG is concerned about the accessibility challenges of using math notations and having them spoken and brailed appropriately. The MathML Refresh CG has worked with the Chem CG to ensure appropriate access to chemical formulas and the Math WG will continue this effort.</dd>
<dt><a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/cg/publishingcg/">Publishing Community Group</a></dt>
<dd>The Publishing Community Group is an incubation zone for digital publishing ideas. MathML has been a topic of discussion for them. Working with this group may lead to inclusion of support for new ideas in MathML.</dd>
</dl></section>
<section>
<h3 id="external-coordination">External Organizations</h3><dl>
<dt><a href="https://whatwg.org/">WHATWG</a></dt>
<dd>The
<a href="https://whatwg.org/">WHATWG</a>
is responsible for the development of
<a href="https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/">HTML</a>
and
<a href="https://dom.spec.whatwg.org/">DOM</a>.
This may have an influence on the future evolution of MathML. Efforts to align MathML Core with the Web Platform may lead to alignment requirements (issues might arise from a new IDL, focusability, support for ideas like Shadow DOM, support for attributes, etc.), in which case these should be explored further together with the WHATWG (and the
<a href="https://www.w3.org/community/wicg/">WICG</a>).
</dd>
</dl></section>
</section>
<section class="participation">
<h2 id="participation">
Participation
</h2>
<p>
To be successful, this Working Group is expected to have 6 or more active participants for its duration, including representatives from the key implementors of this specification, and active Editors and Test Leads for each specification. The Chairs, specification Editors, and Test Leads are expected to contribute half of a working day per week towards the Working Group. There is no minimum requirement for other Participants.
</p>
<p>
The group encourages questions, comments and issues on its public mailing lists and document repositories, as described in <a href="#communication">Communication</a>. The group also welcomes non-participants to make technical contributions for ongoing work, provided they agree to the terms of the <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/patent-policy/">W3C Patent Policy</a>.
</p>
<p>Participants in the group are required (by the <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#ParticipationCriteria">W3C Process</a>) to follow the
W3C <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/code-of-conduct/">Code of Conduct</a>.</p>
</section>
<section id="communication">
<h2>
Communication
</h2>
<p id="public">
Technical discussions for this Working Group are conducted in <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#confidentiality-levels">public</a>: the meeting minutes from teleconference and face-to-face meetings will be archived for public review, and technical discussions and issue tracking will be conducted in a manner that can be both read and written to by the general public. Working Drafts and Editor's Drafts of specifications will be developed in public repositories and may permit direct public contribution requests.
The meetings themselves are not open to public participation, however.
</p>
<p>
Information about the group (including details about deliverables, issues, actions, status, participants, and meetings) will be available from the <a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/">Math Working Group home page.</a>
</p>
<p>
Most Math Working Group teleconferences will focus on discussion of particular specifications, and will be conducted on an as-needed basis.
</p>
<p>
This group primarily conducts its technical work on the public mailing list <a class="" id="public-name" href="mailto:www-math@w3.org">www-math@w3.org</a> (<a class="" href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/www-math/">archive</a>)
and on <a class="" id="public-github" href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/tools/#repositories">GitHub issues</a>.
The public is invited to review, discuss and contribute to this work.
</p>
<p>
The group may use a <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#Member-only">Member-only</a> mailing list for administrative purposes and, at the discretion of the Chairs and members of the group, for member-only discussions in special cases when a participant requests such a discussion.
</p>
</section>
<section id="decisions">
<h2>
Decision Policy
</h2>
<p>
This group will seek to make decisions through consensus and due process, per the <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#Consensus">W3C Process Document (section 5.2.1, Consensus)</a>. Typically, an editor or other participant makes an initial proposal, which is then refined in discussion with members of the group and other reviewers, and consensus emerges with little formal voting being required.</p>
<p>
However, if a decision is necessary for timely progress and consensus is not achieved after careful consideration of the range of views presented, the Chairs may call for a group vote and record a decision along with any objections.
</p>
<p>
To afford asynchronous decisions and organizational deliberation, any resolution (including publication decisions) taken in a face-to-face meeting or teleconference will be considered provisional.
A call for consensus (CfC) will be issued for all resolutions (for example, via email, GitHub issue or web-based survey), with a response period from <span id="cfc"> one week, depending on the chair's evaluation of the group consensus on the issue.
If no objections are raised by the end of the response period, the resolution will be considered to have consensus as a resolution of the Working Group.
</p>
<p>
All decisions made by the group should be considered resolved unless and until new information becomes available or unless reopened at the discretion of the Chairs.
</p>
<p>
This charter is written in accordance with the <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#Votes">W3C Process Document (Section 5.2.3, Deciding by Vote)</a> and includes no voting procedures beyond what the Process Document requires.
</p>
</section>
<section id="patentpolicy">
<h2>
Patent Policy
</h2>
<p>
This Working Group operates under the <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/patent-policy/">W3C Patent Policy</a> (Version of 15 May 2025). To promote the widest adoption of Web standards, W3C seeks to issue Web specifications that can be implemented, according to this policy, on a Royalty-Free basis.
For more information about disclosure obligations for this group, please see the <a href="https://www.w3.org/groups/wg/math/ipr/">licensing information</a>.
</p>
</section>
<section id="licensing">
<h2>Licensing</h2>
<p>This Working Group will use the <a href="https://www.w3.org/copyright/software-license/">W3C Software and Document license</a> for all its deliverables.</p>
</section>
<section id="about">
<h2>
About this Charter
</h2>
<p>
This charter has been created according to <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#GAGeneral">section 3.4</a> of the <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/">Process Document</a>. In the event of a conflict between this document or the provisions of any charter and the W3C Process, the W3C Process shall take precedence.
</p>
<section id="history">
<h3>
Charter History
</h3>
<p class="issue"><b>Note:</b>Display this table and update it when appropriate. Requirements for charter extension history are documented in the <a href="https://www.w3.org/Guide/process/charter.html#extension">Charter Guidebook (section 4)</a>.</p>
<p>The following table lists details of all changes from the initial charter, per the <a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/process/#CharterReview">W3C Process Document (section 4.3, Advisory Committee Review of a Charter)</a>:</p>
<table class="history">
<thead>
<tr>
<th>
Charter Period
</th>
<th>
Start Date
</th>
<th>
End Date
</th>
<th>
Changes
</th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/Archive/charter.html">Initial Charter</a>
</th>
<td>
April 1997
</td>
<td>
June 1998
</td>
<td>
MathML 1.0, character entities
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/Archive/Group/continuation/MathCharter.html">Rechartered</a>
</th>
<td>
July 1998
</td>
<td>
February 2000
</td>
<td>
MathML 2.0
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/W3CDocs/mathcharter.html">Rechartered</a>
</th>
<td>
February 2000
</td>
<td>
December 2000
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2001.html">Rechartered</a>
</th>
<td>
May 2001
</td>
<td>
May 2003
</td>
<td>
XML schema for MathML, modularization of MathML, DOM for MathML, spoken math via VoiceXML
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
</tr><tr>
<th>
<a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2003AprJun/0016.html">Charter extension</a>
</th>
<td>
April 2003
</td>
<td>
August 2003
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th colspan="4" scope="rowgroup">Second period</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2006.html">Rechartered</a>
</th>
<td>
March 2006
</td>
<td>
February 2008
</td>
<td>
MathML 3.0
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2008JulSep/0034.html">Charter extension</a>
</th>
<td>
March 2008
</td>
<td>
April 2010
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2010OctDec/0019.html">Charter extension</a>
</th>
<td>
March 2010
</td>
<td>
March 2011
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2011AprJun/0023.html">Charter extension</a>
</th>
<td>
April 2011
</td>
<td>
March 2012
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2012JanMar/0055.html">Charter extension</a>
</th>
<td>
March 2012
</td>
<td>
March 2013
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2013JanMar/0056.html">Charter extension</a>
</th>
<td>
March 2013
</td>
<td>
March 2014
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2014JanMar/0070.html">Charter extension</a>
</th>
<td>
March 2014
</td>
<td>
March 2016
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th colspan="4" scope="rowgroup">Third period</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2021.html">Rechartered</a>
</th>
<td>
April 2021
</td>
<td>
May 2023
</td>
<td>
MathML 4.0, MathML Core Level 1 & 2
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
Charter extension
</th>
<td>
June 2023
</td>
<td>
October 2023
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/Math/Documents/Charter2023.html">Rechartered</a>
</th>
<td>
October 2023
</td>
<td>
October 2025
</td>
<td>
Requirements for MathML 5
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th>
<a href="https://lists.w3.org/Archives/Member/w3c-ac-members/2025OctDec/0020.html">Charter extension</a>
</th>
<td>
October 2025
</td>
<td>
April 2026
</td>
<td>
-
</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
</section>
<section id="changelog">
<h3>Change log</h3>
<!-- Use this section for changes _after_ the charter was approved by the Director. -->
<p>Changes to this document are documented in this section.</p>
<!--
<dl id='changes'>
<dt>YYYY-MM-DD</dt>
<dd>[changes]]</dd>
</dl>
-->
</section>
</section>
</main>
<hr>
<footer>
<address>
<a class="" href="mailto:bert@w3.org">Bert Bos</a>
</address>
<p class="copyright">Copyright © 2026 <a href="https://www.w3.org/">World Wide Web Consortium</a>.<br>
<abbr title="World Wide Web Consortium">W3C</abbr><sup>®</sup>
<a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/#disclaimers">liability</a>,
<a href="https://www.w3.org/policies/#trademarks">trademark</a> and
<a rel="license" href="https://www.w3.org/copyright/software-license/" title="W3C Software and Document Notice and License">permissive document license</a> rules apply.</p>
<hr>
</footer>
</body></html>