LaTeX Quick Reference Page

$decorative image$ This site renders equations using MathJax, which itself uses a form of LaTeX to define the equations.

LaTeX (usually pronounced to rhyme with "tech") was designed for mathematicians and programmers to be able to display complex equations and text across a wide range of formats (print, different operating syustems, etc.). While many people use a software program with a nice GUI for equations (e.g, Microsoft Word, MatLab, Mathematica) LaTeX is highly used in academia due to it's long history, free cost, low technical requirement (you can write LaTeX in a text editor), and open source culture.

As we were getting this site started we quickly found out that there didn't seem to be an easily accessible and nicely laid out quick reference for writing LaTeX so we made this one.

Enjoy,
StatsExamples

Basics

LaTeX allows writers to insert mathematical symbols and equations into text (it also allows full formatting of regular text, typesetting, an a bunch of other features of a full editing program). It requires the use of a software program, for this website we use MathJax which was created in 2010 as the result of a joint venture between the American Mathematical Society (AMS) and the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM).

The most common way to insert equations into a document is to write equations using a pair of double dollar sign symbols "$$" bracketing the LaTeX that describes the equation. This will put the equation or symbol on its own line separated from the text before and after.

For example, writing " $ $ x = a^b $ $ " will show that equation on its own like this: $$ x = a^b $$

Equations and symbols can also be placed directly into text (i.e., in-line) by using the using a pair of " \ ( " and " \ ) " symbols to bracket the LaTeX that describes the equation.

For example, writing " \ ( x = a^b \ ) " will show that equation on its own like this: $ x = a^b $ within the text that surrounds it.

Note: regular non-MathJax LaTeX also allows you to bracket in-line equations with single " $ " symbols, but because the web has so many other uses of this symbol MathJax does not implement this.

Note: we have shown the " $ $ ", " \ ( " and " \ ) " sets of symbols with spaces between them so they display well, in actual use there should be no spaces between the symbols.

Greek and Hebrew Letters

These are case sensitive and not all capital letters have symbols in LaTeX (because these letters are the same as the modern Latin alphabet)

\alpha      \beta      \gamma      \delta      \epsilon

\zeta      \eta      \theta      \iota      \Kappa

\lambda      \mu      \Nu      \xi      omicron

\pi      \rho      \sigma      \tau      upsilon

\phi      \chi      \psi      \omega      \varphi

\varepsilon      \varrho      \vartheta      \varpi

\aleph      \beth      \daleth      \gimel

$$ \alpha \;\;\;\; \beta \;\;\;\; \gamma \;\;\;\; \delta \;\;\;\; \epsilon $$ $$ \zeta \;\;\;\; \eta \;\;\;\; \theta \;\;\;\; \iota \;\;\;\; \kappa $$ $$ \lambda \;\;\;\; \mu \;\;\;\; \nu \;\;\;\; \xi \;\;\;\; \omicron $$ $$ \pi \;\;\;\; \rho \;\;\;\; \sigma \;\;\;\; \tau \;\;\;\; \upsilon $$ $$ \phi \;\;\;\; \chi \;\;\;\; \psi \;\;\;\; \omega \;\;\;\; \varphi $$ $$ \varepsilon \;\;\;\; \varrho \;\;\;\; \vartheta \;\;\;\; \varpi $$ $$ \aleph \;\;\;\; \beth \;\;\;\; \daleth \;\;\;\; \gimel $$

\Alpha      \Beta      \Gamma      \Delta      \Epsilon

\Zeta      \Eta      \Theta      \Iota      \Kappa

\Lambda      \Mu      \Nu      \Xi      Omicron

\Pi      \Rho      \Sigma      \Tau      Upsilon

\Phi      \Chi      \Psi      \Omega

$$ \Alpha \;\;\;\; \Beta \;\;\;\; \Gamma \;\;\;\; \Delta \;\;\;\; \Epsilon $$ $$ \Zeta \;\;\;\; \Eta \;\;\;\; \Theta \;\;\;\; \Iota \;\;\;\; \Kappa $$ $$ \Lambda \;\;\;\; \Mu \;\;\;\; \Nu \;\;\;\; \Xi \;\;\;\; \Omicron $$ $$ \Pi \;\;\;\; \Rho \;\;\;\; \Sigma \;\;\;\; \Tau \;\;\;\; \Upsilon $$ $$ \Phi \;\;\;\; \Chi \;\;\;\; \Psi \;\;\;\; \Omega $$

Special symbols

\ne      \approx      \sim      \equiv      \le      \ge

\pm      \times      \cdot      \div      \land      \lor

\to      \Rightarrow      \leftrightarrow      \Leftrightarrow

\oplus      \otimes      \infty           \therefore      \exists      \forall

$$ \ne \; \; \; \; \approx \; \; \; \; \sim \; \; \; \; \equiv \; \; \; \; \le \; \; \; \; \ge $$ $$ \pm \; \; \; \; \times \; \; \; \; \cdot \; \; \; \; \div \; \; \; \; \land \; \; \; \; \lor $$ $$ \to \; \; \; \; \Rightarrow \; \; \; \; \leftrightarrow \; \; \; \; \Leftrightarrow $$ $$ \oplus \; \; \; \; \otimes \; \; \; \; \infty \; \; \; \; \therefore \; \; \; \; \exists \; \; \; \; \forall $$

Building equations

a^b      a_b      |a|      \ln{a}      \log_{10}a

\hat{a}      \check{a}      \tilde{a}      \acute{a}      \grave{a}

\dot{a}      \ddot{a}      \breve{a}      \bar{a}      \vec{x}

\sqrt{a}      \sqrt[3]{a}

$$ a^b \; \; \; \; a_b \; \; \; \; |a| \; \; \; \; \ln{a} \; \; \; \; \log_{10}a $$ $$ \hat{a} \; \; \; \; \check{a} \; \; \; \; \tilde{a} \; \; \; \; \acute{a} \; \; \; \; \grave{a} $$ $$ \dot{a} \; \; \; \; \ddot{a} \; \; \; \; \breve{a} \; \; \; \; \bar{a} \; \; \; \; \vec{a} $$ $$ \sqrt{a} \; \; \; \; \sqrt[3]{a} $$

Fractions can be done two ways

{{a} \over {b}} , x = {-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac} \over 2a}

$$ {{a} \over {b}} \; \; \; \; , \; \; \; \; x = {-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac} \over 2a} $$

\frac{a}{b} , x = \frac {-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}} {2a}

$$ \frac{a}{b} \; \; \; \; , \; \; \; \; x = \frac {-b \pm \sqrt{b^2-4ac}} {2a} $$

Summations, products, and limits

\sum_{n=1}^{\infty}a_n , \prod_{n=1}^{\infty}a_n

$$ \sum_{n=1}^{\infty}a_n \; \; \; \; , \; \; \; \; \prod_{n=1}^{\infty}a_n $$

\lim_{x\to \infty}{{1} \over {x}}=0

$$ \lim_{x\to \infty}{{1} \over {x}}=0 $$

Adding non-equation text to displayed equations

\text{some regular text} , \textbf{some bold text}

$$ \text{some regular text} \; \; \; \; , \; \; \; \; \textbf{some bold text} $$

\textit{some italicized text} , \underline{\text{some underlined text}}

$$ \textit{some italicized text} \; \; \; \; , \; \; \; \; \underline{\text{some underlined text}} $$

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