# Latex outside Forum and x bar

1. May 17, 2012

### solarblast

How do I write X bar with the bar over it to denote a vector?

I discovered that if I compose a Latex equation here that I can copy it into a Word file. Is this true of all the symbols? Same for sub and super scripts.

Is there a software tool that I can use to write Latex outside the realm of this forum?

2. May 17, 2012

### HallsofIvy

I'm not sure what "other symbols" you mean. LaTeX code is standard "ascii" but things like control codes for Greek letters, etc. generally will not copy correctly. Also you should be aware that while LaTeX code is standard the HTML code introducing it is not. Here you can use "[ t e x ]" (without the spaces) or "[ i t e x ]", Others require "[ l a t e x ]" or use "[ t e x ]" only. I have even run across one forum that uses "$$" and "$$".

3. May 17, 2012

### solarblast

By "other symbols", I meant ones like delta, arrow, etc. Ones that I had not used. That is, would Word accept all the symbols in the table?

Can I write an alphabetic symbol with a bar over it?

I found WinEdit, which appears to work outside the Forum.

4. May 17, 2012

### Steely Dan

Use \vec{x} to make a vector quantity in LaTeX. I don't think this would work for copying into Word. If you want to make a vector in Word, and you don't want to use the built in Equation functionality, just use an arrow object and manually position it above the symbol in your equation.

5. May 17, 2012

### solarblast

\vec{x} didn't seem to work here when I went into advanced. Maybe it needs an end character? I haven't used the Word equation ability for probably 7 years, and it appears that it requires a bit of work to install it, although Word readily accepts a copy of the Latex here. In any case, I can use bold in Word to signify a vector.

I think there may be a tutorial for WinEdit, which would help.

6. May 17, 2012

### Steely Dan

Sometimes you won't see it immediately because the page doesn't load the script properly, but $$\vec{x}$$ does work on this forum.

Using LaTeX to produce a real document uses the same (but an expanded) syntax as is used here; the subtleties are related to the formatting of the document as a whole. There are plenty of introductory guides out there for how to produce, say, a PDF document using LaTeX. Note that WinEdt is just a graphical program that combines a text editor with buttons to do the heavy lifting; LaTeX documents can also be produced using only notepad, and the appropriate command-line utility to interpret the .tex file.

7. May 17, 2012

### genericusrnme

You can write latex quite nicely in Mathematica and to do vectors it's just \vec{stuff} which looks like;

$\vec{stuff}$

8. May 17, 2012

### jwbales

In standard LaTeX you use \bar{X} $\bar{X}$ or \overline{X} $\overline{X}$.

As you can see, the \bar{X} is rather anemic and the \overline{X} is slightly too wide.