9.1 In-Line Mathematics

In-line mathematics is created using the math environment. (Note U.S. spelling -- “math” not “maths”).

Example:

The variable \begin{math}x\end{math} is transformed by the function \begin{math}f(x)\end{math}.

It's somewhat cumbersome having to type \begin{math} and \end{math} and it also makes the source code a little difficult to read so there are shorthand notations that can be used instead: $ is equivalent to \begin{math} and $ is equivalent to \end{math}. So the example above can be rewritten:

The variable $x$ is transformed by the function $f(x)$.

There is an even shorter notation: The special character $ is equivalent to both \begin{math} and \end{math}:

The variable $x$ is transformed by the function $f(x)$.

This is considerably easier to type and to read, but you need to make sure that all your $ symbols have matching pairs. The above code will look like:

The other advantage in using $ over $ and $ is that $ is a robust command , whereas $ and $ are fragile commands and will need to be protected if they occur in a moving argument.

Note: you should always make sure you are in maths mode to typeset any variables (such as , , ), as this will ensure that the correct maths fonts are used, as well as the appropriate spacing. Similarly, don't use $ as a short cut for an italic font.

Notice the $difference$ between $(x', y', z')$ and \textit{(x', y', z')}.

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