Abstract: Current equation editing systems rely on either text-based equation description languages or on interactive construction by means of structure templates and menus. These systems are often tedious to use, even for experts, because the user is forced to "parse" the expressions mentally before they are entered. This step is not normally part of the process of writing equations on paper or on a whiteboard. We describe a prototype equation editor that is based on handwriting recognition and automatic equation parsing. It is coupled with a user interface that incorporates a set of simple procedures for correcting, errors made by the automatic interpretation. Althouah some correction by the user is typically necessary before the formula is recognized, we have found that the system is simpler and more natural to use than systems based on specialized languages or template-based interaction.