Book Image

LaTeX Cookbook - Second Edition

By : Stefan Kottwitz
Book Image

LaTeX Cookbook - Second Edition

By: Stefan Kottwitz

Overview of this book

The second edition of LaTeX Cookbook offers improved and additional examples especially for users in science and academia, with a focus on new packages for creating graphics with LaTeX. This edition also features an additional chapter on ChatGPT use to improve content, streamline code, and automate tasks, thereby saving time. This book is a practical guide to utilizing the capabilities of modern document classes and exploring the functionalities of the newest LaTeX packages. Starting with familiar document types like articles, books, letters, posters, leaflets, and presentations, it contains detailed tutorials for refining text design, adjusting fonts, managing images, creating tables, and optimizing PDFs. It also covers elements such as the bibliography, glossary, and index. You’ll learn to create graphics directly within LaTeX, including diagrams and plots, and explore LaTeX’s application across various fields like mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computer science. The book’s website offers online compilable code, an example gallery, and supplementary information related to the book, including the author’s LaTeX forum, where you can get personal support. By the end of this book, you’ll have the skills to optimize productivity through practical demonstrations of effective LaTeX usage in diverse scenarios.
Table of Contents (16 chapters)

Writing quantities with units

Unlike pure mathematics, we often encounter units alongside quantities in natural sciences such as chemistry, physics, and engineering. It’s essential to distinguish units from variables. Consider this example: let’s create a formula that multiplies the speed s of one meter per second by the factor m. At first glance, it might seem straightforward like this:

\( m \cdot s = m \cdot 1 m s^{-1} \)

The LaTeX standard output would be as follows:

Figure 11.9 – A bad example of printing variables and units

Figure 11.9 – A bad example of printing variables and units

What do you think about this? Units and variables seem identical. Imagine multiplying both sides of the equation by s or dividing by m... it becomes pretty perplexing. Furthermore, our space between 1 and m has been lost.

To adhere to common standards in writing, we often require the following:

  • Upright presentation of units to differentiate them from italicized math variables
  • A small space...