Best math software for writing math?

[christian0710]

What's the best and easiest software when it comes to write equations. If I have to write a lot of math language It would be nice to have a program where I can write rapidly.

I tried the math editor in Word (office), but every time I need a multiplication symbol I have to find it in the pallet, takes for ever :P

 

[jhae2.718]

LaTeX.

It's a "What You See Is What You Mean" paradigm typesetting program, where you use markup to format your document and then compile it. It's designed for mathematical and scientific typesetting.

The math on PF uses LaTeX markup; an example from my .sig is:

[color=#008000][b]\frac[/b][/color][color=#008000]{[/color][color=#008000][b]\mathrm[/b][/color][color=#008000]{[/color]d[color=#008000]}}{[/color][color=#008000][b]\mathrm[/b][/color][color=#008000]{[/color]d[color=#008000]}[/color]t[color=#008000]}[/color][color=#008000][b]\![/b][/color][color=#008000][b]\![/b][/color] [color=#008000][b]\left[/b][/color] ([color=#008000][b]\![/b][/color][color=#008000][b]\![/b][/color] [color=#008000][b]\frac[/b][/color] [color=#008000]{[/color][color=#008000][b]\partial[/b][/color] [color=#008000][b]\mathcal[/b][/color] L[color=#008000]}{[/color][color=#008000][b]\partial[/b][/color] [color=#008000][b]\dot[/b][/color][color=#008000]{[/color]q[color=#008000]}_[/color]j[color=#008000]}[/color] [color=#008000][b]\![/b][/color][color=#008000][b]\![/b][/color][color=#008000][b]\right[/b][/color]) - [color=#008000][b]\frac[/b][/color] [color=#008000]{[/color][color=#008000][b]\partial[/b][/color] [color=#008000][b]\mathcal[/b][/color] L[color=#008000]}{[/color][color=#008000][b]\partial[/b][/color] q[color=#008000]_[/color]j[color=#008000]}[/color] = Q[color=#008000]_{[/color][color=#008000][b]\rm[/b][/color] nc[color=#008000]}[/color], [color=#008000][b]\quad[/b][/color] [color=#008000][b]\text[/b][/color][color=#008000]{[/color]for [color=#008000]}[/color] j = 1, 2, [color=#008000][b]\ldots[/b][/color], n

which produces:
$$\frac{\mathrm{d}}{\mathrm{d}t}\!\! \left (\!\! \frac {\partial \mathcal L}{\partial \dot{q}_j} \!\!\right) - \frac {\partial \mathcal L}{\partial q_j} = Q_{\rm nc}, \quad \text{for } j = 1, 2, \ldots, n$$

 

[christian0710]

Thank you! I'll begin learning to use LaTex :D

 

[jhae2.718]

I learned LaTeX from Wikibooks: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX

 

[christian0710]

Thank you for the recommendation. I'll start reading :)
Do you know of any good LaTeX math books with all the unnecessary mathematical language arranged in chapters or tables, so I can easily find it when needing to write fx integrals etc? I'm thinking of a book with chapters and a glossary in the back of the book so I can easily find y page for x formula.