Laika

LaTeX

File:LaTeX example.png Example of a LaTeX document
Developer(s)	Leslie Lamport
Initial release	1984
Stable release	2e
Repository	{{URL|example.com|optional display text}}
Written in	TeX
Engine
Operating system	Cross-platform
Type	Document preparation
License	LaTeX Project Public License

LaTeX (pronounced /ˈlɑːtɛx/ or /ˈleɪtɛx/) is a high-quality typesetting system; it includes features designed for the production of technical and scientific documentation. LaTeX is the de facto standard for the communication and publication of scientific documents. It is available as free software.

History

LaTeX was created by Leslie Lamport in the early 1980s as an extension of the TeX typesetting system, which was developed by Donald Knuth. The first version of LaTeX was released in 1984. LaTeX provides a set of macros and commands that simplify the use of TeX, making it more accessible to users who are not familiar with the intricacies of TeX programming.

Features

LaTeX is widely used for:

• Scientific and academic papers
• Technical documentation
• Theses and dissertations
• Books and articles

Advantages

• Quality of Output: LaTeX produces high-quality, professional-looking documents.
• Mathematical Typesetting: It excels at typesetting complex mathematical formulas and equations.
• Cross-Platform: LaTeX documents can be compiled on any operating system.
• Extensibility: A wide range of packages are available to extend LaTeX's capabilities.

Disadvantages

• Learning Curve: LaTeX has a steep learning curve for beginners.
• Complexity: Managing large documents can become complex.

Usage

LaTeX documents are written in plain text and contain markup commands to define the structure and formatting. A typical LaTeX document includes:

• Preamble: Where you define the document class and include packages.
• Body: Contains the main content of the document.
• Bibliography: Managed using BibTeX or other bibliography management tools.

Example

Here is a simple example of a LaTeX document:

```latex \documentclass{article} \usepackage{amsmath} \begin{document} \title{Introduction to LaTeX} \author{John Doe} \date{\today} \maketitle

\section{Introduction} This is a simple LaTeX document. Here is an example of a mathematical equation: \begin{equation} E = mc^2 \end{equation}

\end{document} ```

Also see

• TeX
• BibTeX
• Overleaf
• Scientific writing
• Document preparation systems

External links

• Official LaTeX Project website
• Comprehensive TeX Archive Network (CTAN)