swimmermom3 Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I know we have talked about using LaTeX for lab reports. While I was on AoPS Community, there was a post about using LaTeX (do I have that right?) to post on the Community board. Is this something we should try or at least be familiar with? Is it a program we simply download? Thanks again to everyone that has helped us get started with AoPS. For those of you that have ever watched The Simpsons, there is an episode where Marge is trying to figure out how to make more money. She decides that she could teach piano, but one of the kids points out that she can't play piano. She says that she figures she just needs to stay a lesson ahead of her students! :tongue_smilie: I am there. Actually, ds and I were talking about AoPS this afternoon and ds started to equate math and sailing. He said moving to AoPS was like the first time he sailed in truly rough water with some ugly wind. "I thought I was a decent sailor until I sailed in an environment totally unlike where I usually practice." He already has a couple of fairly challenging classes and I asked him if this was what he wanted on top of the others. He said he really likes the challenge and being able to work at it until he gets it. I am just thinking that since we have to ask so many questions, that LaTeX might be helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 LaTeX is very useful for typing equations. My DH and his colleagues use it exclusively for scientific papers, and many scientific journals expect manuscripts submitted in LaTeX. LaTeX is free, you can just download it. For a windows computer, go to miktex.org Here is the AoPS website for Getting Started with LaTeX with links to guides etc: http://www.artofproblemsolving.com/Wiki/index.php/LaTeX:About Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted February 7, 2014 Author Share Posted February 7, 2014 Thanks for the super-fast response. I think I will go check it out. An unusual winter storm has left us with everything closed down like swim meets and work for the older kids. There is more free time than the usual, so I can afford to deviate from my lessons for a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie of KY Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 You are welcome to ask questions here or on the AoPS forums without latex. Also, we found it helpful to learn formatting and variation of formatting by right clicking on the problems on the AoPS forums and it will show you how it is coded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiana Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 I recommend downloading MikTeX -- I got the version with TeXnicCenter and found it very easy to use. One of the things I really like is that if you're used to using an equation editor like word, it has all the same buttons, so you can search through the buttons for what you want, click on the button and it will insert the code into the document. I clicked on the AOPS link after I typed this and saw that's what they recommend as well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 In class I believe you need to begin your latex response with a semicolon. (Can someone confirm?) I'm not sure why this isn't mentioned in the forums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daijobu Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Checked with dd, not all classes require a semicolon before beginning latex. Enclose the latex code in dollar signs. That's all I know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara H Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 If they are using it over the long term it can be helpful to get a book. This the one we have and I got a "thank you Mom" the other day for how often it has come in handy! http://www.amazon.com/dp/0387322892/?tag=stackoverfl08-20 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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