LaTeX:LaTeX on AoPS

LaTeX

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This article explains how to use LaTeX in the AoPSWiki, the AoPS Community, and the AoPS Classroom.

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LaTeX on the AoPSWiki and the AoPS Community

LaTeX uses a special math mode to display mathematics. To place something written in TeX in math mode, use $ signs to enclose the math you want to display. For example, suppose you type the following in a Community post or in the AoPSWiki:

The solution to $\sqrt{x} = 5$ is $x=25$.

The resulting post will read:

The solution to is .

As we saw above, when using $math stuff here$ to typeset math, the resulting math expression appears right in the text at the location of the $...$. Sometimes we want to break some of the math out of the text and give it its own special line. To do so, we use \[math stuff here\] or $$math stuff here$$ to put the math text in display math mode:

The solution to \[\sqrt{x} = 5\] is \[x=25.\]

The output of this is:

The solution to is

That's all there is to invoking LaTeX on the AoPS site. Of course, you'll want to do more than square roots! You can read through the Symbols and Commands pages to learn how to render other symbols with LaTeX.

LaTeX in the AoPS Classroom

LaTeX in the Classroom works almost exactly the same way it works in the AoPSWiki and Community (described above), with one small difference. To render a post in the AoPS Classroom with LaTeX, all you have to do is start your post with a semicolon. So, you'd write

;The solution to $\sqrt{x} = 5$ is $x=25$.

The resulting output will be:

Notice that you only place the mathematics portion of the post in dollar signs. You do not write ";$The solution to $\sqrt{x} = 5$ is x=25.$" The result of that will be \sqrt{x} = 5

If you leave out the leading semicolon, your post will not be rendered as LaTeX. So, the post "The solution to $\sqrt{x} = 5$ is $x=25$" would be rendered exactly as-is: "The solution to $\sqrt{x} = 5$ is $x=25$".

Please note: You should only use LaTeX in the classroom if you are rendering mathematics. Do not use LaTeX to make plain text posts. For example, you should not write ";Wow, you're a great teacher" since you don't need to render anything in that sentence with LaTeX. Instead, you should just write, "Wow, you're a great teacher." You don't need LaTeX to tell your teacher how awesome the class is.