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

LaTeX
Thread starter WWGD
Start date Nov 15, 2023
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Nov 15, 2023

WWGD

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TL;DR Summary: How to write Latex for ##y_i## with a caret , i.e., y^_i?

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?

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Nov 15, 2023

Orodruin

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##\hat y_i##?

Nov 16, 2023

WWGD

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Orodruin said:

##\hat y_i##?

Thank you.

What does it mean to "enter a caret within a Latexed expression"?

In LaTeX, a caret (^) is used to indicate superscripts, subscripts, and other mathematical symbols. When entering a caret within a Latexed expression, it means that the caret is being used as a special character and not as a regular text character.

Why does entering a caret within a Latexed expression sometimes result in a mangled output?

This is because the caret is being interpreted as a special character and not as a regular text character. This can cause confusion for the LaTeX compiler and result in a mangled output.

How can I avoid a mangled output when entering a caret within a Latexed expression?

To avoid a mangled output, the caret can be escaped by using a backslash (\) before it. This tells the LaTeX compiler to treat the caret as a regular text character and not as a special character.

Are there any other special characters that can result in a mangled output when used within a Latexed expression?

Yes, there are other special characters such as dollar signs ($), ampersands (&), and percent signs (%). These should also be escaped using a backslash to avoid any mangled output.

Is there a way to automatically escape special characters when entering a Latexed expression?

Yes, there are various LaTeX packages that can help with automatically escaping special characters. These packages can be included in the preamble of your document and will handle the escaping for you.