TeX and LaTeX

Introduction

Advent has chosen TeX as the basis for math in 3B2. TeX is the worldwide de-facto standard for Maths typesetting and is commonly used in the production of technical and scientific documentation.

What is TeX?

TeX is a mathematic markup system written by Donald E. Knuth which is designed for the production of technical and scientific documentation.

In the words of the author of TeX (Donald E. Knuth), "TeX is a typesetting system intended for the creation of beautiful books, especially for books that contain a lot of mathematics. TeX is designed to handle complex mathematical expressions in such a way that most of them are easy to input."

TeX and its documents are highly portable and because TeX is a macro processor, it offers users a powerful programming capability.

What is LaTeX ?

LaTeX is also a high-quality mathematic typesetting method with features designed for the production of technical and scientific documents. It is most often used for medium and large technical or scientific documents, but it can also be used for other forms of publishing.

Originally written by Leslie Lamport, LaTeX is a TeX macro package that provides a document processing system. LaTeX allows markup to describe the structure of a document, so that the user need not think about presentation. The same document can then be produced in a variety of different layouts.

TeX/LaTeX in 3B2

3B2 uses a slightly modified form of TeX code. It includes a substantial number of the math commands of TeX to enable the user to set equations as desired, as well as a few extra features which are more 3B2 like, including the use of normal 3B2 fonts within math equations.

The math itself can either be inline as in the case of or it can be in display style like the following:

This causes the math to be centered and the correct space is automatically skipped to avoid the math, while remaining in the same paragraph.

3B2 built in Maths functionality also allows for matrices, aligning multiple equations, over/under-lining, accents, fractions, line numbering, arrows, limits and lots more.

TeX in 3B2 is a WYSIWYG implementation and interpretation of the TeX maths macros and formatting rules. The user can key mathematical formulae directly onto the page using the TeX structure and see the equations generated on screen as you type and this formulae can be edited at any time. Existing equations in TeX can be imported and cut and pasted within your documents.

Below are some of 3B2's Math related features:

Fonts - The fonts used are derived from the TeX Computer Modern fonts and allow for extensible delimiters and square roots, integrals, Greek symbols etc. Unlike conventional TeX fonts, the 3B2 TeX fonts are in outline format and can be scaled to any size.
Accurate cursor - An additional menu option switches on accurate cursor positioning. This may be used in normal mode but will be found to be very useful for positioning the cursor in mathematical expressions.
Maths top and bottom margins
Equation splitting - Automatic and manual
Sub & superscript heights
Fraction display settings

Note:

The above is a factual list of some Math related features in 3B2, it is by no means a comprehensive list, and should therefore not be used for comparative purposes.

3B2 TeX additional features

Many of the features used in plain TeX assume maths setting practice as used in the USA. 3B2 allows you to tailor almost all of the parameters of TeX to conform to your own style of math setting. For example, it is possible to use different fonts within equations for numbers, letters and text, and change the relative position of the sub and superscripts.

Below is a list of some of the additional features for 3B2 Math:

Define your own maths macros - Support for the majority of TeX commands with the additional functionality of being able to define your own maths macros within individual documents or globally within the 3B2 environment.
Diagonal rules - As well as horizontal and vertical rules, it is also possible to specify diagonal rules.
Transformations - There are now several commands which allow you to manipulate a group, by applying a transformation to it. These include rotating, skewing and scaling transformations.
Colour and colour boxes – There are various ways of using colour for maths in 3B2.
Background colour and border - A background colour can be used to highlight equations within text. Borders can be used without a background colour to increase space around display maths.
Typeface - The options provided enable you to specify which typeface to use for letters, numbers and text within maths.
Margins - The maths margins function in the same way as the normal paragraph margins, in that they determine the amount of space above, below and to the left and right of the equations. The above and below settings allow for the positioning of equations within normal running text, as separate paragraphs or when equations occur at the top of columns/pages.
Customise - The customise option allows you to change the default setting for many of the parameters that determine size and positioning of characters and the length/width of rules and fraction bars within 3B2. All of the options are provided with adequate help boxes that describe the defaults and parameters. For more information on customisation in 3B2 see Customisation
Automation - Showstrings & Scripts - 3B2’s internal scripting language and automatic numbering system can be used to create automated solutions in conjunction with TeX.

References and further information

You can find out more about Maths in 3B2 by visiting the 3B2 Documentation Downloads web page and downloading the Maths Manual:

documentation.3b2.com

You can find out more about TeX by visiting:

The TeX Users Group Home Page

www.tug.org