LaTeX:About

Revision as of 15:38, 3 October 2008 by Notehead (talk | contribs) (Getting Started with LaTeX)
LaTeX
About - Getting Started - Diagrams - Symbols - Downloads - Basics - Math - Examples - Pictures - Layout - Commands - Packages - Help

LaTeX, or $\mathrm{L\!\!^{{}_{\scriptstyle A}} \!\!\!\!\!\;\; T\!_{\displaystyle E} \! X}$, is a typesetting markup language that is useful to produce properly formatted mathematical and scientific expressions.

Getting Started with LaTeX

  1. Download and install MiKTeX and TeXnicCenter, in that order. See the Downloads page. All of these packages are FREE. They are not developed or distributed by Art of Problem Solving. (You will also need a PDF viewer such as the free Adobe Reader; however this program is already installed on most computers.) If you are working from a Mac, visit this site [1] and follow the directions.
  2. Work through the "Basics" pages:
    • The First Document page walks you through creating your first LaTeX document.
    • The Math page shows you how to typset mathematics in LaTeX.
    • The Style section shows you how to control the basic appearance of your document.
  3. Learn how to add images to your LaTeX documents.
  4. Use our LaTeX quick-reference guides to learn more about:
    • The layout of your document.
    • The different symbols available in LaTeX.
    • Some of the commands in LaTeX, and how to define your own new commands.
    • Various external packages that can increase LaTeX's abilities, and how to create your own new packages.
  5. Use the TeXer to experiment and practice writing mathematical formulas.
  6. Use the Help page and the LaTeX forum for more help.

See also