I’m trying to write a paper and I need to add some equations. The ways I’ve done this in the past are, suffice it to say, somewhat cumbersome. I’ve heard a lot of people use TeX for this purpose, so I’m thinking that might be the easiest thing. But I’ve never used it before. Is this something I’ll be able to learn to use quickly? All I really need to be able to do is use Greek letters, superscripts, subscripts, overbars, conjugate symbols (daggers and asterisks), and fractions (not just numerical fractions like 1/2 but actual expressions as fractions). Maybe a few other mathematical symbols as well (such as the Capital Sigma summation symbol). Is this the sort of thing I could learn to do in TeX quickly? Can you give me some instructions or direct me to them? (I don’t even know how TeX works – do I just type keywords in my document, or is there some sort of graphical interface?)
If you think TeX is the way to go, please point me to a site where I can download a good version of it for Windows XP. “Good” meaning easy to do the basic things I want to do, even if you’re a total TeX novice (which I am). Preferably free, but I don’t mind paying for it. I’ve tried to use Google to find a place to download it, but after first being directed to some FTP server I couldn’t connect to, and then finding a site that had a bunch of files in some weird format I couldn’t open, I’m at my wits end. I’m in a real time crunch with this paper, so I don’t have a lot of time to figure this out. So if it’s not totally obvious how to download and install the program from the site you recommend, please give me some specific instructions.
Any help you can provide will be very greatly appreciated!
Well, from personal experience, LaTeX (pronounced Lah-tech) is the way to go if you are writing a scientific paper. I have never seen a WYSIWYG-editor such as Word for it, so everything is written as a text-file with coding. For example:
\begin{equation}
e = m \cdot c^2
\end{equation}
will produce “e=m·c[sup]2[/sup]” (barring typos :))
For an introduction to LaTeX, I would recommend LaTeX project, and (under guides) “The Not So Short Guide to LATEX2ε”
If you are going to write TeX-documents under Windows, I recommend MiKTeX. (Frankly, I am not aware of any other TeX-implementations for Windows.)
If you’re already using Win XP, why not just use Equation Editor that’s already available in MS Word? It will do everything you mentioned. If you want all the bells and whistles of Equation Editor, go to Wiris - Your all-in-one STEM partner to download the latest full version of MathType for a free 30-day trial. I’ve been using it for years. It works great and is practically self-explanatory to use.
While it is certainly worthwhile learning TeX and LaTeX, be warned that it is not a trivial task. The lack of WYSIWYG editors means that, as a novice, you’ll be referring to the manual continually. What’s more, I didn’t find it particularly easy to set up on my system (although YMMV). It is definitely rewarding to learn, but I’d advise against it until you have a bit more time.
I was about to suggest the MS Equation Editor, but nivlac beat me to it. It has a WYSIWYG interface and it’s fairly easy to learn. Pretty much every version of Word that I’ve seen has it built in. In my version (Word 2002), selecting Insert|Object and picking “Microsoft Equation 3.0” brings it up.
Having done techincal and mathematical papers using various tools, I find LaTeX far easier than fiddling with infinitessimal mouse movements and their inexplicable consequences in “on screen” editors like Word. (I did my 300 page PhD thesis in LaTeX without too much bother). The downside is a little more time is taken to see what you’ve done since you must compile the source code into a dvi file every time.
In LaTex, you biuld up an equation using symbols and operators (eg. \frac, \sum etc.) and use brackets {} to keep everything partitioned correctly. You’ll find that if you build up each part of a large equation separately you can put them all together very easily.
By far the best method I found was to get a template for a paper (or use someone else’s source code) and look up each new {\whatever} as it occurs. I guarantee you will never have used the \backslash so regularly!
I used LaTeX for my honours project on the advice of my supervisor. He said it would really help me, but he didn’t think I would have time to learn it. I learned how to use it and converted my 30-page paper in one night. This website was very useful to me: http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/andyr/misc/latex/
TeX is a markup language similar to HTML; you have to be very careful with your braces or else things won’t look right.
So does the recent version of Microsoft Works (the word processor).
I used TeX when I was in college in the late 80’s, because it was nifty, and at that time it was by far the easiest way (maybe the only way) to type all sorts of mathematical stuff, and even normal text looked really spiffy and professionally typeset. Now, though, word processors have gotten much more sophisticated, and depending on what you’re doing and how you like doing it (e.g. typing symbolic commands from your keyboard vs. selecting options off a menu with a mouse), they may be easier to use than TeX. The OP didn’t say what he was currently using to write his papers, but if it’s one of those word processors with an associated equation editor, and learning time is of the essence, I wouldn’t recommend he mess around with TeX.
There is a WYSIWYG front-end to LaTeX called LyX. I’ve never used it, though.
If you use TeX/LaTeX, your paper will come out looking way better than if you use Word, the Equation Editor notwithstanding. Reading mathematical material created using Word is downright painful.
Writing TeX code is really more like programming/debugging than like using a word processor. Do you already have some experience with programming, or at least with writing Web pages in raw HTML? If not, you’re in for a seriously steep learning curve.
LyX works pretty well, but even with LyX you’re going to run into situations where you want to do something which would literally be a single mouse-click in Word, and you’re spending hours trying to figure it out and the documentation is either silent on the issue or mentions it continuously without ever explaining how to actually do it… That kind of thing.
The same thing is true for TeX and LaTeX in general. Yes, once you master it you can do wonderful stuff with it and you’ll never want to go back to anything else. But until you reach that point, it seems as if every little thing requires hours of research and experimenting, and at the same time you’ll be wondering what the fuss is all about, because you’re not yet able to make things come out exactly the way you want them to, so you don’t really have anything to show for your hours of effort which you could not have put together in Word in five minutes.
I definitely second the recommendation against choosing TeX / LaTeX or even LyX for a time-critical project. It’s a worthwile investment, but expect to take a few weeks or even longer before you get proficient enough that you can confidently write a paper in it.
By the way, I believe the MS Equation Editor is not always installed by default. If you can’t find it (under “Insert…”) just run the installation program from the CD again, choose “update” and check the box for “equation editor”.
Indeed, learning LaTeX is not a quick ‘n’ easy way to get your equations typeset for your paper. It’s more like writing HTML than using a word processor, and there are a lot of tiny mistakes that will totally FUBAR the final result or cause TeX to choke without producing a document at all. And the error message are typically not the least bit helpful.
That said, it is worth your time if you’re going to be doing a lot of writing with equations in your career. I wrote my first paper for grad school in LaTeX, and cursed myself for scrupulously avoiding it when I was an undergrad.
Once you’ve gone TeX, you’ll even consider using Word (Ack! Ack! Ptui! wards off the evil eye) for anything more complicated than a shopping list. LaTeX is the way to typeset papers in math and the physical sciences. Even when you’re doing non-mathematical stuff, if you use LaTeX, it will look good. Other TeX users will take one look at your papers and nod knowingly. Non-TeX-users will simply have a subliminal notion that your paper looks a lot more put-together and professional than all the rest of those those Word-generated papers in the stack.
There’s a ton of helpful LaTeX information online (you can Google for what you need) but all the same, I prefer to have a book at hand. LaTeX for Everyone by Hahn is a good starter book, and A Guide to LaTeX by Kopka & Daly is a more complete reference with some of the deeper kung fu stuff.
I’ve set up MiKTeX on my husband’s Windows machine, and it worked pretty well for him, a LaTeX novice. Then again, he had me hanging over his shoulder, telling him what to do, so I don’t know how well it’d work for the raw newbie on his own.
Your best bet, as with many undertakings, is to find an experienced guru who can help you up the bumpy learning curve.
There’s also Scientific Word by MacKichan Software, but it’s kinda pricey. If you can find a used version for a decent price, I’d recommend it. (They also have free trial downloads.)
Personally I’ve always found the equation editors built into word processors to be a too cumbersome if you have more than a few equations to worry about. On the other hand, be aware that while TeX and LaTeX make some things very easy, they make other things absurdly difficult. I still remember the first time I tried to figure out how to change the margin sizes in a LaTeX document. Yeesh. But as long as you’re content letting LaTeX make all of the cosmetic decisions for you while you just fill in the text, you won’t run into those problems.
If you’re serious about using TeX or LaTeX, the best advice I can give you is to find a pre-existing LaTeX document whose formatting you find acceptable (try compiling it on your own computer to make sure it doesn’t use any features you don’t have installed) and then replace the body of the document with your own text. That’s probably the best way to get a LaTeX document out the door quickly. Once you have more time you can flesh out your understanding of the syntax.