Latex Definition and 999 Threads

Latex is a stable dispersion (emulsion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well.
Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms). It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins, and gums that coagulate on exposure to air. It is usually exuded after tissue injury. In most plants, latex is white, but some have yellow, orange, or scarlet latex. Since the 17th century, latex has been used as a term for the fluid substance in plants, deriving from the Latin word for "liquid." It serves mainly as defense against herbivorous insects. Latex is not to be confused with plant sap; it is a distinct substance, separately produced, and with separate functions.
The word latex is also used to refer to natural latex rubber, particularly non-vulcanized rubber. Such is the case in products like latex gloves, latex condoms and latex clothing.
Originally, the name given to latex by indigenous Equator tribes who cultivated the rubber tree, Hevea brasiliensis, was "caoutchouc", from the words caa ('tear') and ochu ('tree'), because of the way it is collected.

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  1. berkeman

    Anybody having trouble seeing their LaTeX render in the last couple of days? [Solved]

    I've had PMs from both @haruspex and @boneh3ad today that they are having trouble seeing their LaTeX rendering in the forums. I see their LaTeX rendering fine in their posts, but they are not seeing it rendered even when using different browsers and devices. Is anybody else having trouble...
  2. Wrichik Basu

    LaTeX How do I make use of this space after the table?

    Without further ado, I'll directly put the MWE here: \documentclass[a4paper, 11pt, draft]{article} \usepackage{fontspec} \usepackage{mathsettings} \usepackage{geometry} \usepackage{lastpage} \usepackage{fancyhdr} \usepackage{layout} \usepackage{makecell} \usepackage[none]{hyphenat}...
  3. berkeman

    LaTeX Tip on using LaTeX preview at other websites

    I was using an external website to preview my LaTeX for a reply in the forums today, and was very frustrated that my LaTeX rendered just fine at https://www.quicklatex.com but would not render at PF. I must have spent at least 10 minutes trying to figure out what I was doing wrong, and finally...
  4. DaveE

    LaTeX How Can I Display Fractions Like (a+b)/(c+d) in LaTeX?

    Is there a better way to get fractions to display like ## \rm{(a+b)/(c+d)}## instead of ## \frac{a+b}{c+d}##? Sometimes I'd like LaTex to do formatting "inside" the fraction; let's say with an integral symbol, for example.
  5. C

    LaTeX Creating a right triangle in Cartesian plane in LaTeX

    Dear everybody, I am trying to create a right triangle in Cartesian plane with no grid lines in Latex. I have no way to start it. I am having a hard time. I want to use tikz picture. Thanks, cbarker1
  6. P

    LaTeX Enumerating list with correct reference

    Apologies if this is a simple fix, but I currently do not see it. I also appreciate any other advice on how to structure my document in regards to having several enumerating lists. Currently, equations are numbered by numbers (1), (2), etc., so I can't use just numbers for my enumerating...
  7. brotherbobby

    LaTeX ##\rm{\LaTeX}## bibliography not coming in one line

    \pagebreak \begin{thebibliography}{} \bibitem{RH} Resnisk, R., Halliday, D. \textit{Fundamentals of Physics}. Wiley (2019) \end{thebibliography} I have tried to write the whole reference in the same line to no avail. Thanks a lot.
  8. A

    Help Posting LaTeX on the Forums

    I'm trying to learn LaTeX, and to use it here on the forums, but having a problem posting it. In TeXworks, I'm figuring it out, no problem, pretty simple. However, I apply LaTeX here, and when I hit "Preview", it just shows up as whatever I write, rather than the math symbols. I went to a...
  9. alejandromeira

    Praise Issues with LaTex

    Hello, can anyone give me a hand? I am trying to make a post but the LaTex engine doesn't work properly. I Try the `four dollars´ and the `four hashtag´ method on, but the equations dont appear when I click the Preview button. The LaTex engine doesn't do anything. I have posted several threads...
  10. brotherbobby

    LaTeX Possible name of the software used to type equations in a video

    Video Link Many thanks if you can guess what the name of the software is. It can be very useful for teaching. Let me also confess that, till date, I haven't found a software that can type ##\rm{LaTeX}## equations in real time on to the computer screen. LyX is the only one I know of, but the...
  11. M

    Is There a Downloadable Package of LaTeX Symbols Available?

    TL;DR Summary: Looking for downloadable package of symbols Hi; I am picking up on the suggestion of using LAtex. I know the symbols are mostly in Word scattered about the place. Is there a downloadable package do you know that I could access please. Thanks Martyn
  12. paulb203

    Why Doesn't LaTeX Render in Preview Mode as It Does After Posting?

    I've been checking out the guide, and practicing but I have a question before I actually post a thread using it. I did go to the LaTeX thread but it's closed. When I hit the Preview button I was given a preview of what the main body of my text would look like when posted, but the text I'd put...
  13. brotherbobby

    LaTeX Times New Roman for a portion of a ##\rm{\LaTeX}## document

    I am writing a document (article) in ##\rm{\LaTeX}##. Due to easier reading and differentianting a portion of the text from the rest, it is necessary for me to use some other font and I have chosen the ##\verb|Times New Roman|##. However, I don't know how to go about it. Are there any packages...
  14. W

    LaTeX Entering a caret within a Latexed expression: Ends up mangled...

    Hi, Trying to Latex in an estimator y^ together with an index, y_i . The latter is obvious as ##y_i##, but I can't get the estimator ^ without mangling it all. Any ideas?
  15. mcastillo356

    LaTeX Why this LaTeX typing doesn't display?

    Hi PF I've been for a while taking a glance to recent posts of mine, in search for right or wrong LaTeX performance; everything correct, except for this thread: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/integral-of-cosecant-function-understanding-different-approaches.1056106/ The following typing...
  16. brotherbobby

    LaTeX 1. Colour while using ##\LaTeX## 2. Preview first time

    I have observed that one cannot use colour here while typing something in ##\LaTeX##. Let me try : ##\text{Let's see if this can be \color{blue} {coloured}?}##. Nope, I type, via an edit after posting. Of course I can use colour from the panel above, but that will have to work for the entire...
  17. Y

    LaTeX What do you use to write formulas here in Physics Forum?

    I was here over 10yrs ago, at the time, I use LaTex. You still using that today or there's something new? I am encouraging my grand daughter to come to this forum as she's going to college soon. I don't want to tell her to learn the wrong thing as it's been over 10yrs already. Thanks Alan
  18. giodude

    LaTeX Trying to write in LaTex and MathJax not picking up

    I'm attempting to use latex to write a question in the physics forum. However, when I click preview to check if the formatting is correct it doesn't reformat to display in its latex form, rather it stays in plain text. Any suggestions on what I may be doing wrong? I've posted the screenshots...
  19. T

    LaTeX How Can I Color Different Sections of a Torus in LaTeX Using TikZ?

    Hey all, I have been looking into drawing a torus in LaTeX and came across the post Torus with lines winding along different axis, where the response by user194703 involved the following block of code (which I have very slightly edited) \documentclass[tikz,border=3.14mm]{standalone} % based on...
  20. Frabjous

    LaTeX What is the baseline height when using Safari for latex formatting on an iPad?

    Using safari on an ipad \sqrt{ab} has a slight vertical offset between a and b. ##\sqrt{ab}## Is it me?
  21. S

    LaTeX Do Latex diagrams work in the preview mode?

    I pasted examples (taken from old threads) of doing commutative diagrams in LaTex into the message editor and tried them in the preview mode. They didn't display. Should a correct example work in the preview mode? I'll paste a couple in this message and see if they show up in the final post...
  22. Eclair_de_XII

    LaTeX I'm trying to typeset a certain symbol in LaTeX

    https://tug.ctan.org/info/symbols/comprehensive/symbols-a4.pdf The symbol I've described isn't in this list. I've searched "crescent" and "moon", but to no avail. Will I have to go through the trouble of creating one myself using TikZ, or something? Also, I need a horizontal border to insert...
  23. M

    LaTeX Formatting Equally-contribution authors list in PRL journal using LaTeX

    Hello! I want to add equally contributing authors in the author list for a PRL paper in latex (similar to e.g. this). Basically I want something of the form: $$\mathrm{author1}^{1,*}, \mathrm{author2}^{2,*}$$ $$1 \ \mathrm{First \ affiliation}$$ $$2 \ \mathrm{Second \ affiliation}$$ $$* \...
  24. DrClaude

    LaTeX Package braket broken in MathJax

    It appears that the MathJax implementation of the ##\LaTeX## package is broken. In another thread, I posted this In this post, the command \braket{N} should display as $$ \langle N \rangle $$ but it appeared as $$ \langle N | N \rangle $$ If I try it in this post, it results in $$...
  25. E

    LaTeX Latex Guide Link: Easily Accessible Toolbar Option

    A link to the latex guide. I feel like I insert it (and see others linking it) often enough that it is worth asking about having it a fixed option in the tool bar. An “insert latex guide” link. It seems like most newcomers don’t bother to look at at, unless you point it out. Just an idea...
  26. fluidistic

    LaTeX Most awesome periodic table of the elements in Latex?

    I would like to print a nice PTOTE, written in Latex. So that I could make small modifications before printing it. I have checked on the Internet, but surprisingly couldn't find any really nice one. Ideally, it should contain information like the fusion point, possibly crystallographic...
  27. S

    LaTeX Discover the Use of LaTex for Bridge and Chess Online Discussions

    I'm curious whether LaTex is commonly used to display online discussions of bridge and chess? (Yes, if I investigated online Bridge or chess forums, I'd find the answer. However I hope someone who knows will save me the trouble.) Just a casual search for "LaTex for bridge deals" shows that...
  28. B

    LaTeX LaTeX is not working for this code when I Preview

    Not sure how to rectify this. Any ideas? It looks correct via the codecogs website (https://latex.codecogs.com/eqneditor/editor.php) \begin{align} (S \circ R)^{-1} & = \left\{ \left< z, x \right> : \left< z, x \right> \in S \circ R \right\} \\ & = \left\{ \left< z, x \right> : \exists...
  29. binbagsss

    LaTeX References format in beamer, LaTeX

    When I am citing references in beamer they are coming out as listing the author, I just want it to give a number instead. This is the code I am using, and, this is how my references and the citation are currently displaying. Many thanks in advance ! Relevant code in the document for...
  30. L

    LaTeX Why Do My LaTeX Inputs Only Work with Four Dollar Signs in the Forum?

    I have unfortunately a problem, if I make my inputs only with two dollar signs, that these are not indicated, but only with 4 dollar signs. Unfortunately, I cannot make my latex inputs in the text in such a way, like e.g. The formula is as follows $f(x)=x^2$, form the derivative of this formula.
  31. epenguin

    LaTeX Going backwards in elementary Latex

    I am trying to help a student but then I need it myself. Spending all my time writing a simple formula in this hateful Latex which ought to be a thing of the past. Not succeeding in writing the formula, to understand what was going wrong I tried the simplest expressions of the kind for fractions...
  32. PhysicsRock

    LaTeX LaTeX formatting Feynman Diagrams incorrectly

    I've been trying to get Feynman Diagrams to work in my LaTeX code, however, the output is not what it is supposed to be. I'm using TeXMaker and TikZ-Feynman to draw the diagrams. My code looks like this: \feynmandiagram [horizontal=a to b] { i1 -- [fermion] a -- [fermion] i2, a -- [photon] b...
  33. topsquark

    LaTeX Commutative function diagrams in LaTeX

    I know that TikZ is probably the best way to do this but most Forums don't use it. I can make a rectangular diagram, but it's a bit clunky: Say I have the commutative function diagram: ##\begin{array}{ccccc} ~ & ~ & f & ~ & ~ \\ ~ & A & \longrightarrow & B & ~ \\ g & \downarrow & ~ &...
  34. topsquark

    LaTeX How to Represent Complex Fractions in LaTeX?

    I know of two reasonable ways to represent a complex fraction: \dfrac{ \left ( \dfrac{a}{b} \right ) }{ \left ( \dfrac{c}{d} \right ) } ##\dfrac{ \left ( \dfrac{a}{b} \right ) }{ \left ( \dfrac{c}{d} \right ) }## and \dfrac{ ^a / _b }{ ^c / _d } ##\dfrac{ ^a / _b }{ ^c / _d }## What I am...
  35. benorin

    LaTeX Need editor for dvi files to convert latex

    I have only my iPhone rn to manipulate files with rn. I need assitence from someone with a latex editor capable of viewing .dvi files to download this linked file (the latest draft of our insight) on my google drive...
  36. topsquark

    LaTeX Preview LaTeX: Tips to Check Code Before Posting

    Just a quick question... I haven't been able to figure out a way to preview my posts before I post them. Is there a way to check my LaTeX code on site before I actually post? Thanks! -Dan
  37. malawi_glenn

    LaTeX Looking for a LaTeX preview site similar to mathb.in

    http://mathb.in/ is down I am looking for a fast and easy to use LaTeX preview site which is similar in fuction. I know of overleaf but then I have to type "compile" and so on. I am looking for something that is fast and easy.
  38. I

    LaTeX Preview button not working as expected

    When I create a thread and enter all Latex equations, I want to see how it would appear before posting the thread. So, when I click Preview button, I do not see the compiled thread. I have to reload the browser tab to see the Latex output. Are other people seeing this problem ? Thanks
  39. Falgun

    LaTeX Where can I find beginner resources for learning LaTEX?

    Okay so I find myself with quite a bit of time on my hands and I have always been a messy note taker so I decided to learn LaTEX just for the heck of it. I searched for previous threads but they were generally confusing. I have very minimum programming experience. So I would really appreciate it...
  40. Llukis

    LaTeX How Can I Customize the Title Page of the Kaobook Class in Latex?

    Hello to everybody! I would like to know if someone could help me customizing the title page (adding information as well as logos) of the template of the kaobook class by Federico Marotta. It is available at the website of Latex templates. Has anyone ever used it? Thank you so much.
  41. C

    LaTeX Fixing LaTeX Not Working on Firefox 99

    hello, I am trying to use latex in a thread, but for some reason it does not work, eg. v^a is displayed as v^a I am using firefox browser version 99. many thanks for your help
  42. Math Amateur

    LaTeX What is the Latex Code for Upper Sum?

  43. Math Amateur

    LaTeX Latex Problem for Set B Minus set B' that is B \ B' (SOLVED)

    Can someone show me how to include the set minus operation in latex code ... obviously there is a difficulty that the symbol \ within latex delimiters just leaves a space ... ... so B \ B' doesn't result in B \ B' Peter (SOLVED) B \text{ \ } B' works ... ... ... ... ... B \text{ \ } B'
  44. Math Amateur

    LaTeX Why Is My LaTeX Code Not Working?

    [SOLVED]I keep failing to be able to correct the following Latex Code B' = \{ x \in \mathbb{R^n} \ \ | \ \ a_j \leq x_j \leq t_j \text{ and } a_k \leq x_k \leq b_k \{ for } k \neq j \} Can someone help by indicating what's wrong ... Help will be much appreciated Peter
  45. M

    LaTeX Text and latex interpreter in xlabel

    Hi PF! I'm going insane here. How can I have the following in xlabel: ##Q \text{ (mm\sup 3/s)}##?
  46. benorin

    LaTeX Need LaTeX commands for tables, I've looked up some but not working

    I've looked up two different LaTeX references for Table commands and have been lead to believe that this might work but not only does it not appear as a table it doesn't even display greek letters or fractions just spits out commands. Help please? |render=<math> \begin{array}{ l| |c|c|c|c|c }...
  47. Z

    LaTeX Issue with Latex Equations: I have a screen recording of the problem

    My posts all include many equations written in Latex. It seems to me like there are a few bugs related to usage of Latex specifically when just starting a new thread. I've made a short 2 minute screen recording to show the issue I face every single time I want to start a new thread, and the way...
  48. SamRoss

    How can I get the RUN button in Visual Studio Code to turn GREEN again?

    I have been using Visual Studio Code for a couple months now and it has been fine. When I want to run some code, there is usually a little green triangle button in the top right corner that I can click on. A few days ago, that triangle turned white only for Python files (it is still green for...
  49. ZFurdzik

    Labelling a point on the x-axis with PGF-TikZ

    I'm confused about wrote a root of function when plotting here graph with pgf-tikz. Any help is welcome.
  50. mattlfang

    LaTeX Latex Troubleshooting: My Attempted Solution

    I really struggle the get the Latex working for some reason, so I attached my attempted solution in another picture.
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