LaTeX LaTex: Is It Still Relevant for Physics Students?

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LaTeX remains highly relevant for physics students and is valued for its ability to produce clean, structured documents, especially for academic submissions. Many journals require LaTeX formats, and its automated features simplify document management, such as referencing and numbering. While WYSIWYG editors like Microsoft Word can handle basic tasks, LaTeX is preferred for its superior output quality, particularly in mathematical typesetting. Users report that mastering LaTeX enhances professionalism in presentations and written work, often leading to better grades. Overall, learning LaTeX is seen as beneficial, even for those outside STEM fields, due to its versatility and aesthetic advantages.
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As a current Physics student, I am wondering if LaTex is still worth learning?

How often is LaTex still used, and do you think WYSIWYG editors like Microsoft Word has replaced the need to learn LaTex?

I appreciate your opinions. Thanks
 
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Everyone uses \LaTeX, and the basics are very simple.
 
LaTeX is probably worth learning even if you are not a physicist, if only for the sake of producing ordered, clean, structured documents. You can achieve any result of Microsoft Word with LaTex (though sometimes it takes creativity and some coding skills), plus there's lots automated functions built in (LaTeX keeps track of numbering and names of chapters, sections, figures, equations, etc. for you, so you can focus on the content of your work and not the layout or referencing). Also, many journals expect you to submit a LaTeX document and usually provide a LaTeX template for you to use.
 
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Thanks for the detailed reply. I will learn LaTex then.
 
Dopplershift said:
Thanks for the detailed reply. I will learn LaTex then.

Just a warning: After you've learned LaTeX, you'll never go back to Word! :wink:

It's not too hard to learn, incredibly powerful, and it gives, oh, so pretty results. Frankly, I wouldn't use anything else to typset a serious document.

However, there are WYSIWYG editors for LaTeX that remove some of the learning curve for you. Personally, I don't use a WYSIWYG editor, but I know those who do, and they seem to like them well enough. There are also dedicated LaTeX (non-WYSIWYG) editors like Kile that are pretty great.
 
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Dopplershift said:
How often is LaTex still used, and do you think WYSIWYG editors like Microsoft Word has replaced the need to learn LaTex?

It's very easy to see when a math document is made by word. It usually makes me think less about the document. The result with LaTeX is so much more beautiful. Whenever I receive an email attachment and it's Word, it puts me in a bad mood.

#LaTeXDieHard
 
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I just started to learn LaTex, and the first few minutes, it seems pretty easy. To be honest, it's easier to type equations with LaTex than it is with word, and you are right, the equation output is so much more beautiful than Word. I always thought that Word made equations look fairly ugly.

Thanks for the replies everyone! :)
 
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What's nice too is that if you ever have to produce x letters which are personalized toward the receiving party (address line and name for example) you can use the commandline to produce them in minutes. (Unix-style terminal emulators do exist for windows)

Oh and did I mention the beauty of the output? ^_^
 
  • #10
Also, there are some decent packages (beamer) for presentations rather than powerpoint. Takes longer to make for sure, but you can copy-past equations out of papers easily, and it always looks nice. Everyone seems to use beamer in physics.
 
  • #11
Beamer has a bit of a learning curve.
After 2 presentations it's just as fast (maybe even faster because you have absolute control over positioning) as powerpoint and the likes.
At least that's my opinion.
 
  • #12
Hector Mata said:
LaTeX is probably worth learning even if you are not a physicist, if only for the sake of producing ordered, clean, structured documents. You can achieve any result of Microsoft Word with LaTex (though sometimes it takes creativity and some coding skills), plus there's lots automated functions built in (LaTeX keeps track of numbering and names of chapters, sections, figures, equations, etc. for you, so you can focus on the content of your work and not the layout or referencing). Also, many journals expect you to submit a LaTeX document and usually provide a LaTeX template for you to use.

I'm currently undecided on a major (having taken math, computer programming & science, and sociology courses heavily the past year), but would LaTex be useful to non-STEM fields or general everyday life?

I've wondered also if I should take it up.
Thanks.
 
  • #13
SF49erfan said:
I'm currently undecided on a major (having taken math, computer programming & science, and sociology courses heavily the past year), but would LaTex be useful to non-STEM fields or general everyday life?

I use LaTeX for every document I need to make, so yes I think it's useful. Now, when typing a regular (non math) document, then word can do everything LaTeX does, but LaTeX is still prettier.
 
  • #14
micromass said:
I use LaTeX for every document I need to make, so yes I think it's useful. Now, when typing a regular (non math) document, then word can do everything LaTeX does, but LaTeX is still prettier.
Especially with
Code: 
\usepackage{microtype}
in your preamble...
 
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  • #15
Dopplershift said:
As a current Physics student, I am wondering if LaTex is still worth learning?

How often is LaTex still used, and do you think WYSIWYG editors like Microsoft Word has replaced the need to learn LaTex?

I'm also a physics student and I use ##\LaTeX## for all my reports. There's just something about the way LaTeX documents look that screams "professionalism," which is an important thing when trying to stand out from the crowd (there are lots of physics students nowadays.)

I've found that while working in my current job I've been less likely to read papers or articles written in word: equations written in Word's equations editor stand out like a sore thumb compared to the beauty of LaTeX equations. I suppose LaTeX suggests the author has more scientific competence in some way.

I have also found that my lab reports are graded by an extra 10-15% when typeset in LaTeX, whether consciously or not on the examiner's part. It's certainly a useful tool to know how to use.
 
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  • #16
e.bar.goum said:
Especially with
Code: 
\usepackage{microtype}
in your preamble...
Oh wow, my eyes approve. Great suggestion!
 
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  • #17
H Smith 94 said:
Oh wow, my eyes approve. Great suggestion!

It's just so great, isn't it? I only found out about it a few weeks ago, and I'm a big fan.

The other package I make sure everyone knows about is "todonotes". It's extremely useful, especially for longer documents.
 
  • #18
e.bar.goum said:
It's just so great, isn't it? I only found out about it a few weeks ago, and I'm a big fan.
.

Maybe Latex awareness is a generation thing? I have been using it for some years, but only for writing mathematical formulae on PF - and then only when I have to - i.e. when straight text like (ax + b)/cx + d) would be unacceptably hard reading. Because I find it time-consuming hard work, and depending what device I'm using there can be a bit of hassle in fetching characters like {} etc. and wysiwyg it isn't.

But anyway I have in this way used it for a number of years for writing mathematical formulae.

The generation thing is that till today I thought that was all it was used for! :redface:
 
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  • #19
e.bar.goum said:
It's just so great, isn't it? I only found out about it a few weeks ago, and I'm a big fan.

The other package I make sure everyone knows about is "todonotes". It's extremely useful, especially for longer documents.

It's also very useful when you're working on the same document with 2 persons
 
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  • #20
I know how to type latex on these forums, but I never knew about latex document programs that function similar to Microsoft word. What should I download? I'm interested to try it out
 
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  • #21
As e.bar.goum suggested, you can use Kile on both Windows and Linux.
 
  • #22
Maylis said:
I know how to type latex on these forums, but I never knew about latex document programs that function similar to Microsoft word. What should I download? I'm interested to try it out

I would advise you to stay away from those. Not being WYSIWYG is an advantage.
 
  • #23
I don't know what WYSIWYG is. Do you have something in mind that maybe you use?
 
  • #25
nevermind, this thing seems like more trouble than its worth. Don't fix something that isn't broken !
 
  • #27
In my humble opinion, the LaTex equation editor sucks compared to the Microsoft Word equation editor.

Chet
 
  • #28
Chestermiller said:
In my humble opinion, the LaTex equation editor sucks compared to the Microsoft Word equation editor.

Chet

What is the LaTeX equation editor?
 
  • #29
micromass said:
What is the LaTeX equation editor?
What I mean is the composition of equations in LaTex compared to using the Word equation editor.
 
  • #30
In my opinion, it depends on what you are doing.
In some cases (especially the simple ones), the Word Equation editor is okay.
In others (especially in a sequence of steps in a derivation), the LaTeX markup is better and offers more fine control.
In full MathType (not just the version they built for Microsoft), you can compose equations in LaTeX and still use the toolbar.
I haven't played with the new Equation Editor in the newer versions of Word (on Windows)... since I use MathType.

(Looking back to the old thread (from 2004) that was posted,
I'm still waiting for a handwriting-to-typeset equation feature.
Microsoft did come out with a crude one... but it only generated an image, not an equation-type object that can be edited.)
 
  • #31
robphy said:
In my opinion, it depends on what you are doing.
In some cases (especially the simple ones), the Word Equation editor is okay.
In others (especially in a sequence of steps in a derivation), the LaTeX markup is better and offers more fine control.
In full MathType (not just the version they built for Microsoft), you can compose equations in LaTeX and still use the toolbar.
I haven't played with the new Equation Editor in the newer versions of Word (on Windows)... since I use MathType.
I've used LaTex quite a bit in Physics Forums and I've used Microsoft Word Equation Editor quite a bit professionally. Many of the equations that I composed with the Microsoft Word Equation Editor were pretty complicated (in my judgement). The big advantage of the Word equation editor is that the equation looks like an equation as you are composing it. In LaTex, the final equations are beautiful, but the composed text of the equations is, in my opinion, often very hard to relate to, particularly if there is lots of nesting of different kinds of parenthesis.

Chet
 
  • #32
Maylis said:
What should I download? I'm interested to try it out
Download MikTeX and TeXstudio to get started with WYSIWYM LaTeX/TeX.

Unless you're looking for a WYSIWYG LaTeX editor, in which case there are not many good ones. The best is probably BaKoMa TeX, which costs money and is still not very stable in my opinion. LyX is not WYSIWYG but is close to it. It's a very popular option for TeX newbies.
 
  • #33
There is a WYSIWYG LaTeX equation editor: EqualX
 
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  • #34
Maylis said:
I know how to type latex on these forums, but I never knew about latex document programs that function similar to Microsoft word. What should I download? I'm interested to try it out

As for downloading, I do not know. But there are plenty online ones. The one that I've been using and like is Overleaf. It's an online LaTex editor.
 
  • #35
Sharelatex is nice too
 
  • #36
Maylis said:
I know how to type latex on these forums, but I never knew about latex document programs that function similar to Microsoft word. What should I download? I'm interested to try it out
I use TexMaker, it's downloadable and free.
 
  • #37
SF49erfan said:
I'm currently undecided on a major (having taken math, computer programming & science, and sociology courses heavily the past year), but would LaTex be useful to non-STEM fields or general everyday life?

I've wondered also if I should take it up.
Thanks.
I say you should.

Pros: LaTeX pays off mostly when producing long documents with lots of inner structure (i.e., index, parts, chapters, sections, subsections, appendix, etc.), or when there are many tables, figures, code listings, or math. I think it is worth it even if you write pure text (like a novel, for example) simply because of the control it offers over format, layout, presentation, etc. Many editors include basic word-processing features like spell-check and templates for common documents. You can also use LaTex to create PowerPoint-like presentations, which is useful if your topic involves math. If you ever get stuck on anything, you can google "latex [your problem]" and get answers instantly.

Drawkacks: it is probably overkill to use LaTex if you're just going to write a two-paragraph memo. Also, if the document is the result of a group assignment (say, a lab report or something) and you're the only one who knows LaTex, you may be in trouble. It may be better to feign ignorance in those cases :wink:.
 
  • #38
Trying out Tex writer for my iPad. So far so good. It was the app with the most reviews...
 
  • #39
Chestermiller said:
The big advantage of the Word equation editor is that the equation looks like an equation as you are composing it. In LaTex, the final equations are beautiful, but the composed text of the equations is, in my opinion, often very hard to relate to, particularly if there is lots of nesting of different kinds of parenthesis.

It's a good idea to write macros that cover common constructions in your Latex source. For example, putting
Code: 
\newcommand{\bigro}[1]{\bigl(#1\bigr)}
in the preamble of your document will let you type
Code: 
\bigro{stuff}
instead of
Code: 
\bigl( stuff \bigr)
to get a matching set of larger sized parentheses. Correctly matching opening and closing brackets of different types and sizes was also something I found very error prone (and hard to read) until I started writing macros like these. (This is also in keeping with Latex's philosophy of expressing the semantics of a document: if a particular repeating sequence of commands "means" something, you should say so in the form of a new command that implements that sequence.)

For editing, personally I've used Emacs with AUCTeX and preview-latex for virtually all Latex editing for four or five years now. The preview-latex mode in particular let's you compile and display equations and other parts of a Latex document directly in the Emacs buffer containing your document source code. It doesn't help with actually composing formulas (you still have to type the Latex code yourself), but it does help keep the source buffer more readable and easier to navigate.
 
  • #40
The question is rather what is going to replace latex. Latex is a language centered on nice layout in printed form. With more and more texts being consumed electronically, this is more a problem, than a feature. You also cannot produce documents with markup so as to make pdf's accessible for e.g. blind people. This is a big problem in public organizations where all documents have to be handicaped accessible by law.
 
  • #41
I have been using LaTeX for 30 years now, but never directly. I use Scientific WorkPlace, ver 5.5, which takes away the pain. It also gives me in-line computing capability with Mu Pad, a Maple-like capability that is included. This way, I can work the problem and write it up, all in the same process. It is wonderful for engineering reports and papers, and I would not dream of using Word (ugh!) or any other ordinary word processor.
 
  • #43
Dopplershift said:
As a current Physics student, I am wondering if LaTex is still worth learning?

How often is LaTex still used, and do you think WYSIWYG editors like Microsoft Word has replaced the need to learn LaTex?

I appreciate your opinions. Thanks

If you prefer to use a WYSIWYG editor but still want to implement TeX/LaTeX, you can use the freely-downloadable package LyX--it essentially produces LaTeX output and thus compiles the document in LaTex/Tex. It has lots of palettes that allow for clickable symbol and/or formatting implementation. If you do happen to need some aspect of LaTeX that LyX cannot do easily, you can always open the file in an editor and type in the appropriate LaTeX command/instructions, but the number of occasions requiring that will be close to zero. You can also do drawings using Tikz/Pgf, or import jpeg or pdf pictures directly.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #44
Alright, I'm convinced...where do I download Latex to use? ?:)

Hopefully, it's not too hard to learn. I actually want to learn it by Spring 2016 semester, so I can start turning in homework using it.
 
  • #45
You can start by doing things online: www.overleaf.com Try out that site, it's really handy. If you're more familiar an if you like it, you can download it. If you're on windows, then I recommend downloading Miktex first and then texniccenter. Be sure to install miktex before opening texniccenter.

A good guide to LaTeX can be found here: mirror.ctan.org/info/lshort/english/lshort.pdf although I prefer just watching a typed document to see what they did and just mimicking it.
 
  • #46
Too many recommendations, micromass! Shouldn't I just start with LaTeX? :biggrin:

Or, do I need to run LaTeX in some other program?

I just searched and found this: http://latex-project.org/

I guess I'll have to explore a bit, but from reading this thread I'm convinced it will be useful for a variety of things in the future for me.
 
  • #47
LaTeX is just a language. There is no program called "LaTeX". You will need several programs in order to produce LaTeX documents. The website overleaf I linked allows you to do it without downloading anything. If you want it on your computer, you'll need to download miktex and texniccenter (or other things, but I recommend these two).
 
  • #48
Yeah. Just realizing that now, micromass.

Thanks very much. I'll take a look at overleaf as well. That sounds like a great recommendation too!

Appreciate all the help and look forward to learning to type documents in LaTeX! I currently use Microsoft Word and it's unbearable at times!
 
  • #49
If you want to chat, then I could explain you the basics and the installing procedure quite easily! It's very awkward to use at first, but you get used to it quickly. PM me if you want. (This goes for everybody reading this message at any time).
 
  • #50
Another recommendation is that when you're running into problems you can simply google it.
For example for changing the margins I would search "Latex change margins"

You'll often see stackexchange in the results. Go for those results, they're usually quite well written.
 

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