When I imagine mathematical operations like these, I sometimes imagine numbers moving around, distorting, and fading in and out in a way representative of the calculation. For instance, “x^2 * x” would show the x on the right moving onto the x on the left, and the 2 fading down to be replaced by a 3 fading in, like an odometer. I’d like to some day create a Flash animation of some calculation showing those movements.