Using LaTeX

More to come! This page is currently under construction.

What is LaTeX?

LaTeX is a markup language specifically designed for writing mathematics, and is the standard for most mathematical publications; it is also useful for creating documents in fields such as physics, chemistry, and computer science. LaTeX is less cumbersome to use than programs such as Microsoft Word Equation Editor, and it creates professional-quality documents. Your math may still be wrong, but at least it will look nice!

Setting Up

Mac: If you're using a Mac, simply install the freeware application TeXShop, and you're good to go.

Windows: To use LaTeX in Windows, you will need to have a version of LaTeX, in addition to a text editor, installed on your computer. You will also want to have a DVI viewer installed. We recommend using:

version 2.4 of MiKTeX, a complete LaTeX installation (a newer version, 2.5, is available here, but it has caused some of us technical problems when using in conjunction with WinEdt);
YAP, a DVI viewer (this will be installed when you install MiKTeX);
WinEdt, TeXnicCenter, or Texmaker, three text-editors designed specifically for LaTeX. You could also use Emacs, or even Notepad.
Note: If you opt for TeXnicCenter, your MiKTeX installation must precede your TeXnicCenter installation.

All of the above are freeware, except for WinEdt (it's shareware, costing $30 for students).

Linux: LaTeX is by default installed on Linux and UNIX systems.

Using LaTeX

There are 2-3 main steps to creating a PDF document using LaTeX. We list these briefly, then give details below on how to complete these steps.

Use a text editor to write your source code in a .tex file.
Typeset the .tex file to an output file (.dvi or .pdf).
Convert the output file to a PDF, if needed. (This is not needed if you are using TeXShop on a Mac.)

Here is how to accomplish the above steps:

Using a Mac OS:
1. TeXShop provides a text editor in which you can write your .tex document.
2. Typeset the file into a .pdf by going to the Typeset menu and selecting "Typeset" (or using the corresponding shortcut).
Using a Windows OS:
1. Create your text .tex document using WinEdt or Emacs.
2. Click on the "LaTeX" button on the toolbar to typset the file to a .dvi.
3. Click on the "dvi ® pdf " toolbar button to convert the .dvi to a .pdf.
Using Linux/UNIX as your OS:
1. Use Emacs to create the .tex file.
2. In Emacs, type ctrl-c ctrl-f to typset the .tex file to a .dvi file.
3. Use the command dvipdf to convert the .dvi file to a .pdf file.

More to come! This page is currently under construction.