# Jared Antrobus @ University of Kentucky

Email me at jantrobus@uky.edu.
My office is in Patterson Office Tower 722.
My mailbox is in POT 715.

jantrobus@uky.edu
Office in POT 722
Mailbox in POT 715

This semester, I can be found Monday 10am to 11am in the Mathskeller. I am available to meet at other times throughout the week by appointment.

> Home / tardigrade / latex

## Bro, do you even $\rm{\LaTeX}$?

### What is $\rm{\LaTeX}$?

$\rm{\LaTeX}$ is a computer language that allows you to typeset beautiful mathematical expressions. For example, the solutions to $ax^2+bx+c=0$ are given by $x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}.$ The solution above was written with the $\rm{\LaTeX}$ code:

x=\frac{-b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}}{2a}

The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus says that $$\int_a^b f(x)dx=F(b)-F(a)$$ where $F$ is an antiderivative of $f$. This was coded with:

\int_a^b f(x)dx=F(b)-F(a)

$\rm\TeX$ed math loooks infinitely better than equations created in Microsoft Word or LibreOffice. You can use $\rm\TeX$ to write PDF documents for written projects, or create slideshows for giving scientific presentations. $\rm\TeX$ even automatically manages your sources and creates a well-formatted bibliography of your chosen style!

### Getting Started with $\rm{\LaTeX}$

There are two main ways you can use $\rm{\LaTeX}$. You can install it on your computer, or use an online editor. The choice is yours.

#### Option 1: Installing $\rm{\LaTeX}$ on Your Computer

The first thing you should do is get the $\rm{\LaTeX}$ base system installed on your computer. On Windows, I recommend MiKTeX or TeX Live. On Mac OS, MacTeX is really the only way to go. On just about any Linux distribution, one can find TeX Live in the repositories or preinstalled.

Next, you have to install a $\rm{\LaTeX}$ editor. Everyone has different tastes and styles, but I recommend Texmaker. It is a free program which runs on Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.

#### Option 2: Web-Based Editors

The following are two excellent choices for editing your documents in the web browser. If you make an account, you can even save your documents to the cloud.

Choose wisely. (Just kidding, they're both great.)

### How to Write $\rm\LaTeX$ Code

As with any computer language, the best way to learn is to play with a sample document, tweaking it until it looks like you want. On a basic level, $\rm\TeX$ is extremely easy to use, although real nerds can spend hours learning its true power.

The following websites should be useful in your efforts to learn and use $\rm\LaTeX$. Of course, Google is your best friend.

### Sample Documents

I've provided below a few sample $\rm\LaTeX$ documents you can use to play around with, or mold into documents of your own.