# Beginners Guide to LaTeX

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A Beginner's Guide to LATEX
Last Revised: August 15, 2013

Thanks
In the (ongoing) creation of this document, I ask a lot of people for feedback
and input. Some of them are classmates (past or present) or professors, and
some of them are just people on the internet who were willing to help me out
and look it over. I would like to thank these people here.
Kia Braha
Dylan Helliwell
Ravin Kumar
Chris B.
If you happen to find an error in this document-or simply feel I left something
out-feel free to email me at [email protected] and I will update
both this list and the document.
1
Created by A. M. Klingensmith - Email: [email protected]
rev: August 15, 2013

CONTENTS
CONTENTS
Contents
1
Preface: An Argument for LATEX in Education
3
2
Introduction
5
3
Installation
6
3.1
Compilerers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
6
3.2
Editors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
7
4
Creating a Document
8
4.1
The Language of LATEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
4.2
The Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8
4.3
Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
10
5
Making a Document
12
6
LATEX Organizational Structure
13
7
Examples!
15
7.1
Simple Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
16
7.2
Math Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
18
7.3
More Complicated Math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
20
7.4
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
22
7.5
Creating Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
24
7.6
Creating Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
26
7.7
Theorems, Lemmas, Proofs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
31
7.8
Miscellaneous Math . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
35
7.9
LATEX Special Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
8
If Things Go Wrong...
42
9
Appendix
44
9.1
Package Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
44
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Created by A. M. Klingensmith - Email: [email protected]
rev: August 15, 2013

1
PREFACE: AN ARGUMENT FOR LATEX IN EDUCATION
1
Preface: An Argument for LATEX in Educa-
tion
Whenever the idea of using LATEX (pronounced: lah-tek) is brought up in
education circles, the first response I usually hear is: "What's the point?"
After all, we all know how to use programs like Mircosoft Word, and if we
need to create even more complicated math, we can always just hand write
equations. And sure, that's true, but here's my response (I'm about to get a
little preachy):
First and foremost, LATEX is pretty. It displays math how it ought to
be seen. When I have to look at math that is clunky, uneven, or sloppy I
am turned off by it. I mean, consider if you read a book where the letters
were poorly spaced, and it simply looked like the editor was trying to make
the text do something that it wasn't meant to do. Regardless of what the
book was saying, I would probably have a bitter taste in my mouth when I
remembered it just because of how unprofessional it looked. LATEX is what
professors use, it's what textbooks use, and it's what we should use. Be-
cause...
LATEX creates a stable environment for the students in terms of what to
expect their tests (or assignments) to look like. If we, as teachers, rely on
tools like Microsoft Word or our own hand-writing, we're adding an extra
layer of work (albeit, arguably a small one) for our students: we're requir-
ing them to be able to decipher our thoughts, and then learn someone else's
thoughts each new year. If teacher A does z's with a bar and teacher B does
z's without a bar, a student who goes from one class to the other is being
asked to relearn how he or she interprets the letter z. This is a complication
that doesn't have to exist. By using LATEX, we create a uniform, clean guide
for how math is displayed that will (likely) be what the student experiences
in college (if that is where they end up).
Lastly, LATEX makes sharing math easier (bear with me as I unpack this).
Or more accurately, it can make sharing math much easier. Right now, being
a teacher and knowing LATEX must bear an uncanny resemblance to Sisyphus:
you constantly meet people who are invested in their practice, and you bring
up LATEX, ...and you never hear from them again. Rinse, wash, repeat with
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Created by A. M. Klingensmith - Email: [email protected]
rev: August 15, 2013

1
PREFACE: AN ARGUMENT FOR LATEX IN EDUCATION
each new person. I get that. Right now, arguably, LATEX doesn't make math
easier to share (at least amongst pre-college educators). But that doesn't
have to be the case. If a department could all get together and use LATEX, it
could revolutionize how documents are created and shared amongst teachers.
At the same time, it opens up an relatively new medium for teacher collab-
oration: the internet. With more teachers blogging/twittering/whatevering,
many of these sites allow for the TEX typesetting, which means that any
teacher who knows TEX immediately has a vast number of other doors open
to them as well. This will lead to more communication and more innovation.
And isn't that worth it?
If you have any hesitations or doubts, or you honestly feel like you just
seek me out. I will gladly do everything I can to make the learning process as
painless (maybe even enjoyable?) as possible. I guarantee we will be better
teachers as a result.
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Created by A. M. Klingensmith - Email: [email protected]
rev: August 15, 2013

2
INTRODUCTION
2
Introduction
Given that we all want to be math teachers, one issue that we're going
to have to deal with is creating materials-tests, handouts, worksheets, etc.
While many teachers opt to do this by hand, and even more decide to use a
program like Mircosoft Word, I would argue that both of these methods are
less than desirable. That is where LATEX comes in. LATEX is "a typesetting
system that is very suitable for producing scientific and mathematical docu-
ments of high typographical quality."
In essence, LATEX makes math look uniform and professional, like it ought
to.
For example,
tt
cos(x2)e-x3 dx
0
isn't something that is easy to create using a program like Word (let alone
create quickly and looking so nicely; let's be real, that's a sexy integral right
there).
However, LATEX can seem annoyingly cumbersome at first. The purpose
of this guide is to minimize the difficulties by providing a place to turn for
problems and examples-information I wish I had when I was first learning-
as well as giving guidance on where to look when you find problems of your
own. Of course, the best way to learn LATEX is to just sit down and force
yourself to do so. In no time at all you'll be creating beautiful documents.
But first, we need to install some things...
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rev: August 15, 2013

3
INSTALLATION
3
Installation
If you made it this far, you're doing great! ...that being said, it's about to
get more complicated, so don't give up!
To get to a point where you are making your own documents, two items
are needed: LATEX itself and an editor program. Think of it like this: Mi-
crosoft Word is your editor, but all of the behind-the-scenes files that make
up Word (the different font choices, the ability to change the font color, to
adjust the size, etc etc), that's LATEX.
3.1
Compilerers
Depending on whether or not you have a Mac or PC, you may or may not
have to download a compiler. [Note: from here on out, everything in blue is
For PCs, the most common is MikTeX.
For Macs, the most common is MacTeX.
I have a PC, so I can best speak about MikTeX. Basically, if you go to
the website, you're going to want to download the installer (for MikTeX it's
called the "Basic MikTex 2.9 Installer", at the time of this writing).
For Macs, depending on which editor you choose to use (which is ad-
dressed in the next section), you may not need to actually download the
compiler separately. Specifically, if you decide to use TeXShop (which is ar-
guably the most popular choice of an editor for Macs), you don't actually
need to download MacTeX, as it's already included in the TeXShop program.
However, if you do not choose to use TeXShop, you may have to download
MacTeX, so pay attention to whatever program you decide to use!
If you do need to download an installer for a compiler, once you've done
that you should... install it. Duh. And once you've done that, it's time to
get an editor!
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Created by A. M. Klingensmith - Email: [email protected]
rev: August 15, 2013

3.2
Editors
3
INSTALLATION
3.2
Editors
Unlike getting LATEX, there are many editors to choose from. This website
lists what a lot of them are (under the "Editors" section...). From my friends
who had Macs, they seemed to all use TexShop. I myself use TeXnicCenter.
But whatever. Look around. Explore. See if you find one that sticks out.
[Note: If you chose to use TeXShop, you can ignore this paragraph.] Ok,
this next step can get a little tricky. It might actually be (in my opinion) the
hardest part of this entire process, largely because it's the least transparent
(at least to me). The editor you've installed needs to find a way to connect
with LATEX. This (for some reason that I have no idea why) seems to be a
harder process than it needs to be (but then again, I've only worked with
TeXnicCenter...). Needless to say, the best piece of advice I can give is to
google: "(whatever LATEX you installed) + (whatever editor you installed) +
installation". There will usually be forum posts or guides on how to make
everything work perfectly. I would follow these guides. If you're having any
trouble with this step, don't give up! Give me a call or something and we'll
find a way to make it work. Seriously, this program is too useful to not use.
Anyways, moving on. Once that is all done... Congrats! You are now
able to create beautiful math documents (I'm getting excited just thinking
about that past integral... whew...).
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Created by A. M. Klingensmith - Email: [email protected]
rev: August 15, 2013

4
CREATING A DOCUMENT
4
Creating a Document
4.1
The Language of LATEX
LATEX for the most part is very friendly ...once you take the time to get to
know it. It's like that friend that you were skeptical about at first, but now
you can't imagine life without them. Prepare to meet your BTPFF (best
typesetting program friend forever).
While much of LATEX is just normal typing, not unlike how you'd type
in Word or an email, there are times when you have to make commands.
These provide the beauty of LATEX and let you do anything from create a list
of objects, to display specific characters. LATEX commands take one of two
forms:
* They start with a backslash \ and then have a name consisting of letters
only
* They consist of a backslash \ and then have exactly one non-letter.
For example, the fancy "LATEX" is created by typing "\LaTeX" (an example
of the first item). Similarly, a mathematical symbol like = is written from
the command "\neq". However, if I wanted to include a brace like { or }, I
would merely type "\{" or "\}" (examples of the second item).
Some commands require more input (called parameters), and are thus
written as "\command{parameter}". Whereas the previous examples focus
on displaying special characters, the commands that require additional in-
formation are usually to enable specific functions or environments to take
place. Declaring a document style or including a package (both of which are
covered in the next subsection) are good examples of these (although you
will see throughout this document that there are many commands that have
parameters).
4.2
The Preamble
Before you can really begin typing your math, you have to set the stage. The
process of setting up what sort of document you'll be creating, deciding what
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Created by A. M. Klingensmith - Email: [email protected]
rev: August 15, 2013

4.2
The Preamble
4
CREATING A DOCUMENT
sort of packages (more on these later), and how you want the document to
look are all found in the preamble.
The first step is declaring what sort of document you want to create.
LATEX can be used to create everything from articles (that's the document
class of what you're reading right now!) to books, reports, letters, and even
presentations (this class is called Beamer and is AMAZING. It's like Power-
Point meets LATEX-so it's beautiful).
To do so, at the beginning of every document (usually the first line) is
the text:
\documentclass[12pt]{article}
In this, the "{article}" portion defines what type of document we're creating
(so if you wanted to create a different sort of document, "article" is what you
would change), and the "[12pt]" is considered an option. In the document
class command, options can do things such as control the base font size, pa-
per size, and even layout structures like double sided printing or landscape
documents (so here, "[12pt]" means I'll be using fonts that have a base size
of 12pt).
When you feel up to it, explore different document classes and see if there
is one that fits what you're trying to do best! While I've tended to use the
article class (mostly out of habit) there are many classes that may be even
better suited for your goals. For example, if you decide to use the class "am-
sart" (which is the AMS-American Mathematical Society-article class), you
might have to do less work later when it comes to what packages you need
to declare (more on this in the very next section).
[NOTE: If you are interested in learning more about AMS packages, I
would suggest checking out their website. Two pieces of information worth
checking out are the "Short Math Guide for LATEX" and the "amsmath user's
guide", both of which can be found via the link to the AMS site.]
From here, now that you've defined a document class, you can begin
creating your document. To do so, you would need to create the following
code after your document class declaration:
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Created by A. M. Klingensmith - Email: [email protected]
rev: August 15, 2013

# Document Outline

• Preface: An Argument for LaTeX in Education
• Introduction
• Installation
• Compilerers
• Editors
• Creating a Document
• The Language of LaTeX
• The Preamble
• Packages
• Making a Document
• LaTeX Organizational Structure
• Examples!
• Simple Text
• Math Mode
• More Complicated Math