Should there be a period after an equation?

Question

This isn't a pure English question, but it _is_ about writing style: Sometimes entities that aren't words end up being in sentences. I know that when mathematical expressions are inline as follows: > We used the equation _x + y = z_. This is the next sentence. they are treated as any other word, and the sentence needs to end with a period. But suppose I have text in a paper such as: > We used the equation > _x + y = z_ > This is the next sentence. Notice that the equation isn't inline. **Should there still be a period after the equation** (right after _z_) to indicate the end of the sentence?

Answer 1

It is actually better to avoid starting or ending a sentence with an equation. Putting it in the middle of the sentence or separately, as a figure, allows the paragraph to flow better.