84 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
84 lines
4.9 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Writing mathematical expressions
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intro: 'Use Markdown to display mathematical expressions on {% data variables.product.github %}.'
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product: '{% data reusables.gated-features.markdown-ui %}'
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versions:
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fpt: '*'
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ghes: '*'
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ghec: '*'
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shortTitle: Mathematical expressions
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---
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## About writing mathematical expressions
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To enable clear communication of mathematical expressions, {% data variables.product.github %} supports LaTeX formatted math within Markdown. For more information, see [LaTeX/Mathematics](http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX/Mathematics) in Wikibooks.
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{% data variables.product.github %}'s math rendering capability uses MathJax; an open source, JavaScript-based display engine. MathJax supports a wide range of LaTeX macros, and several useful accessibility extensions. For more information, see [the MathJax documentation](http://docs.mathjax.org/en/latest/input/tex/index.html#tex-and-latex-support) and [the MathJax Accessibility Extensions Documentation](https://mathjax.github.io/MathJax-a11y/docs/#reader-guide).
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Mathematical expressions rendering is available in {% data variables.product.prodname_github_issues %}, {% data variables.product.prodname_discussions %}, pull requests, wikis, and Markdown files.
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## Writing inline expressions
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There are two options for delimiting a math expression inline with your text. You can either surround the expression with dollar symbols (`$`), or start the expression with <code>$\`</code> and end it with <code>\`$</code>. The latter syntax is useful when the expression you are writing contains characters that overlap with markdown syntax. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/get-started/writing-on-github/getting-started-with-writing-and-formatting-on-github/basic-writing-and-formatting-syntax).
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```text
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This sentence uses `$` delimiters to show math inline: $\sqrt{3x-1}+(1+x)^2$
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```
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```text
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This sentence uses $\` and \`$ delimiters to show math inline: $`\sqrt{3x-1}+(1+x)^2`$
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```
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## Writing expressions as blocks
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To add a math expression as a block, start a new line and delimit the expression with two dollar symbols `$$`.
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>[!TIP] If you're writing in an .md file, you will need to use specific formatting to create a line break, such as ending the line with a backslash as shown in the example below. For more information on line breaks in Markdown, see [AUTOTITLE](/get-started/writing-on-github/getting-started-with-writing-and-formatting-on-github/basic-writing-and-formatting-syntax#line-breaks).
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```text
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**The Cauchy-Schwarz Inequality**\
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$$\left( \sum_{k=1}^n a_k b_k \right)^2 \leq \left( \sum_{k=1}^n a_k^2 \right) \left( \sum_{k=1}^n b_k^2 \right)$$
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```
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Alternatively, you can use the <code>\`\`\`math</code> code block syntax to display a math expression as a block. With this syntax, you don't need to use `$$` delimiters. The following will render the same as above:
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````text
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**The Cauchy-Schwarz Inequality**
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```math
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\left( \sum_{k=1}^n a_k b_k \right)^2 \leq \left( \sum_{k=1}^n a_k^2 \right) \left( \sum_{k=1}^n b_k^2 \right)
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```
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````
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## Writing dollar signs in line with and within mathematical expressions
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To display a dollar sign as a character in the same line as a mathematical expression, you need to escape the non-delimiter `$` to ensure the line renders correctly.
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* Within a math expression, add a `\` symbol before the explicit `$`.
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```text
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This expression uses `\$` to display a dollar sign: $`\sqrt{\$4}`$
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```
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* Outside a math expression, but on the same line, use span tags around the explicit `$`.
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```text
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To split <span>$</span>100 in half, we calculate $100/2$
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```
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## Further reading
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* [The MathJax website](http://mathjax.org)
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* [Getting started with writing and formatting on GitHub](/get-started/writing-on-github/getting-started-with-writing-and-formatting-on-github)
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* [GitHub Flavored Markdown Spec](https://github.github.com/gfm/)
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