LaTeX Questions Answered: Where Can I Learn About LaTeX?
About this resource
Where can I learn about LaTeX?
What is LaTeX?
LaTeX is a markup language and typesetting system commonly used in mathematical and scientific writing. It can be used to create documents from scratch or display equations in a web browser with the help of plugins, as is the case in Pressbooks.
Below is an example of what LaTeX can look like. This is a simple example, but LaTeX can be used to write much more complex expressions.
Use the formula to calculate the volume of a cylinder.
How do I write a LaTeX expression in Pressbooks?
Use the delimiters [latex]…[/latex] to mark the boundaries between LaTeX and regular text. This is the simplest and best way in Pressbooks to write LaTeX expressions that will be rendered by MathJax. These shortcodes can be used to write in-line LaTeX expressions (i.e., in the middle of regular text) or to left-align a LaTeX expression written on its own line.
If you are using the British Columbia/Yukon Open Authoring Platform, MathJax will be activated and ready to render whatever you write between these shortcodes into clean, readable mathematical expressions.
For example, we all know that is the Pythagorean theorem. Here it is again, on its own line and centred using HTML:
To see how to write this expression, follow the instructions in How do I view an expression as it appears in LaTeX markup?
A Second Method
Assuming you’re rendering your LaTeX using MathJax, there are technically two notation methods for writing LaTeX. You can either surround your LaTeX markup with [latex]…[/latex] or $$…$$. However, this second method comes with a catch.
$$…$$ notation centres a LaTeX expression and puts it on its own line, even if it is used in the middle of a sentence.
For example, the formula:
can be used to calculate the area of a triangle.
In editor view, this looks like For example, the formula $$A=\dfrac{1}{2}bh$$ can be used to calculate the area of a triangle.
This is great, except for one major caveat: LaTeX expressions written using $$…$$ delimiters do not render in PDFs. If you use this notation in the webbook version of your book in Pressbooks, your expression will render and appear as expected. But if you then export the webbook as a PDF, your expression will appear in the PDF as the original LaTeX markup, which is not particularly pretty or human readable.
Therefore, we recommend using [latex]…[/latex] for all LaTeX expressions if there’s a possibility that you will export your webbook to other formats. If you would like your expression to appear centred and on its own line, simply write it on its own line and centre it using Shift + Alt + C or the “Align centre” button on the visual editor toolbar.
Which LaTeX commands work in Pressbooks?
Only those LaTeX commands that are supported by MathJax will work in the BCcampus instances of Pressbooks, as well as any other Pressbooks instances that rely on MathJax to render LaTeX.
See the Supported TeX/LaTeX commands page in MathJax’s documentation to view a full list of LaTeX commands that will work in Pressbooks.
- Authors
- Arianna Cheveldave
- Published
- September 21, 2021
- License
- CC BY 4.0, except where otherwise noted
- Attribution
- LaTeX Questions Answered: Where Can I Learn About LaTeX? by Arianna Cheveldave is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.
- Topics
- EdTechTeaching Online
License
This resource is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You may:
Share
You may copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format.
Adapt
You may remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
As long as you follow these terms:
Give credit
You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
Other things to know:
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
- You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation.
- No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use OER from this collection?
1. Search the collection.
Find matching OER based on subject area, course level, institution course codes (e.g., UBC MATH 101), or keywords. The collection has highly curated materials, so if you don’t find what you are looking for, you can search other OER repositories such as OASIS, which will return many resources not reviewed by BCcampus.
2. Evaluate.
Decide whether the materials will suit your needs as they are, or if they could be customized to fit your course. Some features that may help you narrow down your search are seeing if the resource has supplementary teaching materials, is accessible, is for the right level, or has been tried and tested by peers in the field.
3. Customize.
You may find you want to customize the materials for your course. Download the editable formats to make changes according to the license. For more information on how to customize or adapt open educational resources (OER) see the BCcampus Adaptation Guide.
4. Distribute to your students.
You can download the resource in the different available formats and share using your favourite platforms, including a learning management system or file-sharing service like Dropbox or Google Drive.
5. Inform us.
Fill out the Open Textbook Adoption Form or Open Course Materials Adoption Form so we can help others see that colleagues are adopting OERs.
Do I need permission to use materials from this collection?
What can I do with materials under open or Creative Commons licenses?
An open license, or open-copyright license, grants permission to access, retain, reuse, redistribute, and build on (remix and revise) a work with few or no restrictions.
The terms of open or Creative Commons licenses vary; however, all Creative Commons licences contain an attribution (BY) clause. This means you must include a statement that gives credit to, or attributes, the creator of the work from which you have borrowed, whether it’s text, image, video, or another item. If you have made a change, indicate that in your attribution statement.
For more information, see “Attribution Statement” in the Adaptation Guide.
How do I customize materials from the collection?
You may find you want to customize the materials for your course. Because all of the materials in this collection are openly licensed, you are free to adapt and reuse them. Open licences are how copyright holders let the world know that they are okay with people taking, reusing, and adapting their creative works.
To adapt the materials in this collection, download the editable formats to make changes according to the license.
See the sections on Licences and Permissions in the Getting Started: OER Publishing at BCcampus guide for more information.
Once changes are made, ensure that you:
- Follow the license requirements, such as giving credit to the original creator
- Keep track of the changes that were made
For more information on how to customize or adapt open educational resources (OER) see the BCcampus Adaptation Guide.
How do I report an issue with materials?
If you encounter an error or inappropriate content on the site or in any of the course materials, please contact us so the issue can be resolved.
What's the best way to find course packs for my course?
If you are teaching a course at a B.C. institution, the easiest way to see if there is a course pack for your course (or transferable equivalent) is to search by course code. For example, typing TRU ECON 2320 will show you Business Statistics, which was designed for MATH 125 at Coast Mountain College.