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	* [http://www.maths.abdn.ac.uk/tex/latex_course/intro.htm How to write and use LaTeX ]		* [http://www.maths.abdn.ac.uk/tex/latex_course/intro.htm How to write and use LaTeX ]
-	* [http://www.latex-project.org/ LaTeX - project]	+	* '''[http://www.latex-project.org/ LaTeX - project]'''
	* For the ambitious [http://theoval.sys.uea.ac.uk/~nlct/latex/thesis/ Using LaTeX to Write a PhD Thesis]		* For the ambitious [http://theoval.sys.uea.ac.uk/~nlct/latex/thesis/ Using LaTeX to Write a PhD Thesis]
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Revision as of 14:45, 27 January 2009

Theory

Exercises

What is TeX/LaTeX?

Common expressions

To write mathematics efficiently on a computer, one uses some sort of coding. We have chosen to use jsMath's LaTeX-code. Below are some basic examples of useful code snippets. For more examples, see for example Wikipedia's help page.

To indicate the start of math formatting, use the tag <math>. To end math formatting, use the tag </math>. For example, if you want the formula a+b, in the text box write <math>a+b</math>.

	Example	LaTeX-code	Comment
Simple operations	a+b	a+b
	a−b	a-b
	ab	a\pm b
	ab	a\cdot b
	ab	a/b
	ba	\frac{a}{b}	Use \displaystyle\frac{a}{b} for a larger sized fraction
	(a)	(a)	Scalable parantheses \left(...\right)
Relation signs	a=b	a=b
	a=b	a\ne b	Alternatively: a\not= b
	ab	a< b	NB: Space after "<"
	ab	a\le b
	ab	a>b
	ab	a\ge b
Powers and roots	xn	x^{n}
	x	\sqrt{x}
	nx	\sqrt[n]{x}	Write \sqrt[\scriptstyle n]{x} for bigger n
Logarithms	lnx	\ln x
	logx	\log x
	logax	\log_{a} x
Trigonometry	30	30^{\circ}
	cosx	\cos x
	sinx	\sin x
	tanx	\tan x
	cotx	\cot x
Various symbolsr		\pi

By combining these simple expressions, we may form more complex expressions. The table below shows some examples.

Example	Latex-code
ax2+bx+c	ax^2+bx+c
(a2)3=a6	(a^2)^3=a^6
x+2	\sqrt{x+2}
x+x	\sqrt{x+\sqrt{x}}
c−da+b	\displaystyle\frac{a+b}{c-d}

Common mistakes

One of the most common mistakes when editing math in the wiki is to forget the start <math> tag and the end </math> tag.

Remember also to start commands with a backslash (\) and to add a space after the commands (unless they are followed immediately by a new command).

Another frequent mistake is to use an asterisk (*) instead of a proper multiplication sign (\times in TeX).

Exponents and indices

When writing exponents you use ^ followed by the exponent and to write indices you use _ followed by the index. If the exponent or index consists of more than one symbol it must be enclosed with braces {}.

A special kind of exponent is the degree sign (°) which is written as ^{\circ}.

Delimiters

In more complex expressions you need to make sure to balance each opening parenthesis ( with a closing parenthesis ).

A pair of parenthesis that delimits a tall expression should be as large as the expression. You should therefore prefix the opening parenthesis with \left and the closing parenthesis with \right to get a pair of extensible parentheses that adjust its height to the expression.

Note also that braces {} and not parentheses () are used in commands to delimits arguments.

Fractions

As a rule of thumb you should write fractions where the numerator and denominator consist only of a few digits as a small fraction (i.e. with \tfrac), while other fractions should be large (i.e. with \frac).

If an exponent or index contains a fraction then that fraction should be written in a slashed form (e.g. 52 instead of 25) to enhance the legibility.