Lyx - creating new math symbols or combining symbols

[HJ Farnsworth]

Greetings,

Does anyone know of a way to define new math symbols in LyX, or define a command for putting symbols together in new ways?

For instance, let's say I wanted to define a command \fivefour that I could enter while in math mode that would stack the number 5 directly on top of the number 4 (when I say "on top of", I don't mean "above" - I mean "superimposed on", as in at the exact same x- and y-location on the computer screen. What would be even more useful is if I could do this, while at the same time resizing and repositioning the 4 by a custom amount - eg., the command \fivefour in math mode superimposes a a number 4 that is 1/3 the size of the 4 symbol, and is vertically displaced by 1mm and horizontally displaced by 2mm, onto a number 5.

I am anticipating some responses to the effect of, "don't bother with LyX, just learn LaTeX". I agree completely, and in fact becoming proficient in LaTeX is something I very much want to do - but right now, I just don't have the time. I am hoping to learn it either over Thanksgiving weekend or winter break, but for right now, LyX is the tool I have, so any advice within the scope of LyX would be very much appreciated.

Thanks very much for any help that you can give.

-HJ Farnsworth

 

[mmwave]

Dear HJ Farnsworth,

Thank you for your inquiry. I understand the importance of being able to customize symbols and commands in mathematical equations. Fortunately, LyX does have the capability to define new math symbols and commands. Here are the steps to do so:

1. In the main LyX window, go to Insert > Math > Macros to open the "Math Macros" window.
2. Click on the "New" button to create a new macro.
3. In the "Macro name" field, enter the name of your desired command (e.g. \fivefour).
4. In the "Definition" field, enter the LaTeX code for the stacked numbers, using the \stackrel{}{} command. For example, \stackrel{5}{4} will stack the number 5 on top of the number 4.
5. If you want to resize or reposition the stacked numbers, you can use the \scalebox{}{} and \raisebox{}{} commands within the \stackrel{}{} command. For example, \stackrel{\scalebox{0.5}{4}}{\raisebox{1mm}{5}} will resize the number 4 to half its original size and raise the number 5 by 1mm.
6. Click "OK" to save your macro.

You can now use your newly defined command \fivefour in math mode to stack and customize numbers as desired. I hope this helps and good luck with your future LaTeX endeavors!