This is a list of the simplest TeX commands you might want to use in your problems/articles, etc. For a longer list, see the Short Maths Guide to LaTeX . Be forewarned that not everything in that guide works on our site, though (for example using &quotfrac" for fractions fails).

You need to be in "math mode" to use special mathematical TeX symbols and structures. To get into "math mode" enter a $ (dollar sign). Likewise, to exit math mode, enter another $. Putting the two together, you would enter $x = 5$ to get the equation x=5 in TeX.

Using the content editor on the NRICH site, if you wanted to enter x=5 as TeX, you would select "insert->TeX..." from the top menu on the editor. Then into the window 'this'

type (or cut and paste) $ x=5 $.

In the resulting web page, this gives

Now on to some of the basic TeX commands. These all should go between dollar signs.

• Superscript (exponentiation): ^ .

  2⁵ is written $2^5$. If you want a longer expression in the superscript, put it in curly braces: e²i is written $e^2i$.

• Subscript: _ .

  x₂ is written $x_2$. As for the superscript, longer expressions need to be in curly braces: x_i+j is written $x_{i+j}$.

• Fractions: \over.

  
  

  a b

  
  is written $a\over b$.
  

  i+j m+n

  
  is written ${i+j}\over{m+n}$.

• Square root: \sqrt.

  
  

  ___ Öx+5

  
  is written $\sqrt{x+5}$.

Here are some of the most common mathematical symbols. Most of the rest can be found in the guide mentioned earlier.

£ \ leq
³ \ geq
¹ \ neq (in general, stick an n in front to negate, eg nleq for \nleq)
º \ equiv
» \ approx
~ \ sim
Ì \ subset
Í \ subseteq
ò \ int
\infinity \ infinity p \ pi
P \ Pi
(similarly for \ alpha, \ Alpha, \ beta, \ Beta, etc.) Æ \ emptyset
ò \ int £ \ leq
³ \ geq
¹ \ neq (in general, stick an n in front to negate, eg nleq for \nleq)
º \ equiv
» \ approx
~ \ sim
Ì \ subset
Í \ subseteq
ò \ int
\infinity \ infinity