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# Getting Started With LaTeX

(pronounced 'lay-tek') is a sort of 'language' that, besides many other things, can be used to write mathematical equations in a form that a computer can display. Both our website and forum support LaTeX so here is a short guide to help you get started.

To use in a forum post you need to enclose it in $$tags like this: [tex]a + b = c$$

There are many symbols you can use. Here is a table containing some of the more useful ones:

LaTeX code Produces
\pi
\sqrt{x}
\times
\frac{1}{2}
\div
\frac{a}{b}
\infty
a^2
\pm
a^x
\leq
a_1
\geq
a_x
\equiv
180^\circ
\neq
\pm
\therefore
\alpha
\int
\theta

For example, if I wanted to post to the forum a question regarding the following quadratic equation…

…to have this formula appear in my post like this I would have to type the following:

$$x^2 + 11 x + 30$$

These are just a few examples of the very many commands available. For the complete guide to using please check out The Comprehensive Symbol List. To download the guide you can click on the following link…