title: Pandoc, markdown, powerpoint: support for equations?
body: <p>Pandoc can now <a href="https://bookdown.org/yihui/rmarkdown/powerpoint-presentation.html" rel="noreferrer">generate powerpoint presentations</a> from markdown. This seems to work quite well.</p>
  
  <p>However, when I try to include an equation – even something as simple as <code>$a=2$</code> – the whole contents of the slide disappears. Is this a bug or a feature? Can you include equations in PowerPoint presentations? I was hoping that I would be finally able to write my lectures (which need to be in powerpoint because of reasons) using TeX math syntax in a plain text file.</p>
  
  <p>EDIT:</p>
  
  <p>The command to convert the markdown document saved in the file <code>test.rmd</code> was</p>
  
  <pre><code>render("test.rmd")
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Minimal example #1: </p>
  
  <pre><code>---
  output: powerpoint_presentation
  ---
  
  ## Math test
  
  This is a test (no maths)
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Output:</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5Diz.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/t5Diz.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>Test example #2:</p>
  
  <pre><code>---
  output: powerpoint_presentation
  ---
  
  ## Math test
  
  This is a test $a=2$
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Output:</p>
  
  <p><a href="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mol2q.png" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.stack.imgur.com/Mol2q.png" alt="enter image description here"></a></p>
  
  <p>Versions:</p>
  
  <pre><code>&gt; rmarkdown::pandoc_version()
  [1] ‘2.7.1’
  &gt; packageVersion("rmarkdown")
  [1] ‘1.10’
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>MS PowerPoint 2007. Note that if Word output is chosen, the formula appears as expected.</p>