Math 310:
Mathematical Typesetting Resources
The resources listed here are provided as a convenience for those who wish
to learn to typeset mathematics. I have no preference whether you write your
homework by hand or typeset it by computer. Here are some of the options:
- LaTeX: If you expect to be writing a lot of mathematics
in your life, sooner or later you are going to have to learn to use LaTeX.
This is a dialect (or more precisely a package of macros) for Donald Knuth's
TeX mathematical typesetting system, and has become the de facto standard
for typesetting mathematical articles, books, and research papers. If you
already know something about LaTeX, or if you have the time to invest in
learning it for this course, your investment will pay off over the long term.
But be warned that it is not an easy program to learn, so you'll have to
be prepared to devote some time to it.
- MathType: If you only expect to be producing occasional
documents containing mathematics, you would probably be better served by
learning to use MathType, a stand-alone formula editor that works on both
Windows and Mac computers, and can be used to produce nicely formatted mathematical
formulas for Microsoft Word, LaTeX, and web pages.
- The old-fashioned way: If you have
never used either of these programs and your time
is limited, your would probably be better off spending your time learning
the concepts and techniques that this course is about, rather than learning
to use a complicated computer typesetting system. In this case, you are welcome
to turn in handwritten assignments.
With these caveats in mind, here are some resources for obtaining and learning
about LaTeX and MathType.
LaTeX
MathType
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