# Latex Math Basics

math has always been the motivating factor to abandon word processing.   math offers superior typesetting control over formulas, data tables, and figures.

#### Package Support

The amsmath package introduces several commands that are more powerful and flexible than the ones that ship with .  To use amsmath, add the following line to the document preamble:

#### LaTeX Math Modes

math two modes: the inline mode and the display mode. The first is used to write formulas that are part of a text or paragraph. The second is to write expressions that are not part of the text and are placed on separate lines.

#### LaTeX Inline Math

Here is an example of the inline mode: .  The  markup commands appear below:

There are several ways to launch the inline mode:

•

Either command sequence is viable. The choice as to which is best is subjective and based on personal preference or coding standards.

#### LaTeX Display Math

The display mode has two versions: numbered and unnumbered, as shown below:

Hence, display mode can be launched with a markup syntax or by starting an equation environment:

The environment has the benefit of  macros for equation numbering and number formatting.