POSTS
There are many online tutors for learning to type. They're useful. Here's one, that helps new LaTeX users learn and practice subscripts and superscripts. (It uses an instant-preview widget, based on MathJax.)
Although only a proof-of-concept prototype, it might already good enough to help some people. And perhaps inspire others.
Subscripts and superscripts
The lesson starts here. The basics are:
- use underscore ‘_’ for subscript
- use caret ‘^’ for superscript.
Grouping
This is an advanced topic, which can't be avoided.
Some formulas, such as $2^{10}=1024$, require grouping. Without grouping one gets $2^10=1024$, which is something different.
2^{10} = 1024 % With grouping. Correct.
2^10 = 1024 % Without grouping. Wrong.
The basics of grouping are:
- use left curly brace ‘{’ to start a group
- use right curly brace ‘}’ to end a group
- the left and right curlies must be properly nested
Grouping is sometimes hard. Particularly when the nesting is complicated.
Instructions
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The exercise widget is below. The first two boxes contain formulas. Your task is to make the second box the same as the first.
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The third box (blue edged) is where you type the answer. Change its content, to change the second box.
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For these exercises, the third box starts with the correct answer, but with some of the ‘_^{}’ symbols removed.
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Your task is to add the missing symbols. That's all you need to do.
\[\] \[\]
- First box: the mathematics to typeset.
- Second box: your answer so far, typeset.
- Third box (blue edge): type your answer here.
- Done? Press [Enter] to get a new task.
- Stuck? The solution is below.
Solution:
Interested? Want to help?
If you like this and want to help, please let me know. Here are some of the ways:
- LaTeX beginner? Share your learning experience with us.
- Human being? Tell your friends. Send them a link to this page.
- Email user? Send me an email (see contact).
- Twitter user? Tweet using #LatexTypeTutor.
- Github member? Add your name to GitHub offers of help issue.
Careful, thought-out and friendly criticism is a sincere compliment, and a valuable source of help. (That's the way I see it, on my good days.)
Found a bug? Got an idea?
Well done. If it's a nice one, please add it to our collection.
Further reading
Here are some other posts that might interest you
Finally
While researching this page (I'm fairly new to twitter) I found this wonderful tweet from the UK's Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB):
Make sure you capitalize the first letter of each word in hashtags so that screen reader software reads out each word separately. It also makes them #EasierToRead!
Here's a link to the tweet.