LaTeX guide

How to write the most common parts of formulas and lab reports. Every page has copy-ready code, a preview and a list of common mistakes. Ready formulas from physics and math are in the formula library.

• Fraction in LaTeX

  How to write a fraction in LaTeX: \frac in text and equations, \dfrac for full height, nested and slashed fractions. Copy-ready code.

• Square root in LaTeX

  Square root: \sqrt{x}. Cube root: \sqrt[3]{x}. Root of degree n: \sqrt[n]{x}. Long expressions, fractions under the root, root as a power. Copy-ready.

• Superscript and subscript in LaTeX

  Subscript x_i and superscript x^2 in LaTeX: braces for x^{10} and x_{max}, powers of 10, word subscripts, and superscripts in normal text. Copy-ready.

• Integral in LaTeX

  Definite integral: \int_a^b f(x)\,dx. Indefinite with + C, double \iint, triple \iiint, contour \oint, limits above and below with \limits. Copy-ready.

• Sum and product in LaTeX

  Sum and product symbols in LaTeX. \sum with an index and limits, \prod, inline versus display style.

• Limit in LaTeX

  Limit: \lim_{x \to a} f(x). At infinity: \lim_{n \to \infty}. One-sided: x \to 0^{+}. Condition under lim, inline limits, \limsup and \liminf.

• Derivative in LaTeX

  Writing derivatives in LaTeX: f'(x), d/dx, the partial derivative \partial, second-order derivatives. Code and preview.

• Matrix in LaTeX

  How to write a matrix in LaTeX: the pmatrix, bmatrix and vmatrix environments, matrices with dots and determinants. Copy-ready code.

• System of equations in LaTeX

  System with a brace: \begin{cases} ... \end{cases} from amsmath. Equals signs lined up with aligned, matrix form, piecewise functions and a numbered system.

• Aligned equations in LaTeX

  Align equations at the equals sign with & and \\: align (numbered), align* (no numbers), aligned inside $$. Multi-line derivations, long equations, references.

• Equation numbering in LaTeX

  A numbered equation in LaTeX with the equation environment, your own \label and \eqref references in the text of a report.

• Vector in LaTeX

  How to write a vector in LaTeX: the \vec arrow, bold \mathbf, unit vectors, dot and cross products.

• Greek letters in LaTeX

  Lowercase: \alpha, \beta, \gamma ... \omega. Uppercase: \Gamma, \Delta, \Omega. Variants \varepsilon, \varphi, bold \boldsymbol{\sigma}. Full list to copy.

• Math symbols in LaTeX

  The most common LaTeX symbols: \le, \ge, \neq, \approx, \pm, \infty, arrows and number sets. A list with preview.

• Arrows in LaTeX

  Arrows in LaTeX: \to, \rightarrow, \Rightarrow, \mapsto, \leftrightarrow and arrows with a label above. Copy-ready code.

• Brackets in LaTeX

  Brackets that grow: \left( ... \right). Curly braces \{ \}, a big curly brace for cases, \underbrace, angle brackets, |x| and sizes \big, \Big. Copy-ready.

• Text in equations in LaTeX

  When to use \text and when \mathrm in a LaTeX equation: words, descriptive subscripts, upright constants, your own function names, spacing. Copy-ready.

• SI units in LaTeX

  SI units with siunitx: \SI{9.81}{\metre} for a number with a unit, \num for numbers, uncertainties, percent and \sisetup for a decimal comma. Copy-ready.

• Mean and standard deviation in LaTeX

  Mean: \bar{x} = \frac{1}{n}\sum x_i. Sample standard deviation with n - 1, uncertainty of the mean s/\sqrt{n}, a result with ± and units. Lab-report ready.

• Trigonometric functions in LaTeX

  Write \sin x, \cos x, \tan x, not sin x. Powers: \sin^2 x. Inverse: \arcsin x. Degrees: 30^\circ. Hyperbolic: \sinh x. Copy-ready LaTeX.

• Logarithms and exponentials in LaTeX

  Natural log: \ln x. Base 10: \log x or \log_{10} x. Any base: \log_b x. Exponential: e^{x} or \exp(x). Copy-ready LaTeX with a live preview.

• Chemical formulas in LaTeX

  Chemical formulas and reaction equations in LaTeX with the mhchem package: \ce, subscripts, ion charges and reaction arrows.

• Table in LaTeX

  How to make a table in LaTeX: the tabular environment, column alignment, captions and clean rules with booktabs. Ready code for a measurement table.

• Figure in LaTeX

  How to add an image or a chart to a LaTeX document: the graphicx package, the figure environment, width, caption and label.

• Cross-references in LaTeX

  Referencing figures, tables, equations and sections in LaTeX: \label, \ref, \eqref, \pageref and how to avoid "??" in the PDF.

• Bibliography in LaTeX

  How to add a bibliography to a report in LaTeX: the thebibliography environment, \cite, the order of entries and BibTeX as an alternative.

• Accented characters in LaTeX

  How to type accented letters (é, ü, ñ, ø) in LaTeX: inputenc, fontenc, babel, language-specific dates and hyphenation.

• Title page in LaTeX

  A lab report title page in LaTeX: the titlepage environment, university, course, author and date. A ready template to copy.