# Thread: trying to write with Tex

1. ## trying to write with Tex

Let's see: The number of my house is [math\] {\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}{\frac{1}{n^2)\

2. Originally Posted by tonio
Let's see: The number of my house is [math\] {\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}{\frac{1}{n^2)\
Well, this sucks...

3. Hello, tonio!

Well, of course it doesn't work . . .

Let's see: The number of my house is [math\] {\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}{\frac{1}{n^2)\

You must start with $$. . . and close with$$

4. Originally Posted by tonio
Let's see: The number of my house is [math\] {\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}{\frac{1}{n^2)\
Originally Posted by Soroban
You must start with $$. . . and close with$$
Also, the TeX compiler is very fussy about insisting that opening and closing brackets should match up. In the expression {\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}{\frac{1}{n^2)\ there are 8 opening braces and only four closing ones. If you correct this imbalance then you should find that the input $$\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{n^2}}$$ will produce $\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{n^2}}$.

5. Originally Posted by Opalg
Also, the TeX compiler is very fussy about insisting that opening and closing brackets should match up. In the expression {\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}{\frac{1}{n^2)\ there are 8 opening braces and only four closing ones. If you correct this imbalance then you should find that the input $$\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{n^2}}$$ will produce $\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{n^2}}$.

Thank you both very much for the input. I'm beginning to realize that writing in LaTex sucks big time! You've got to have hawk eyes to keep track of all those darn round, square, curly parentheses, the slashes and the whole thing...it's awful!
Do you guys happen to know whether there's some program to write
mathematics more or less like html or ASCII and the program then compiles it or translates into Tex?
Thanx

Tonio

6. ## writing TeX

Hi Tonio,

you could try LyX.

Stefan

7. Originally Posted by tonio
Thank you both very much for the input. I'm beginning to realize that writing in LaTex sucks big time! You've got to have hawk eyes to keep track of all those darn round, square, curly parentheses, the slashes and the whole thing...it's awful!
Do you guys happen to know whether there's some program to write
mathematics more or less like html or ASCII and the program then compiles it or translates into Tex?
Thanx

Tonio
TeX/LaTeX is compiled from ASCII, since ASCII has such a restricted character set and is difficult to represent multiple line input is why LaTeX appears so difficult to you.

But it takes only a few hours (using the tutorial and other resources) to become sufficiently proficient to use it on MHF.

8. Originally Posted by Opalg
Also, the TeX compiler is very fussy about insisting that opening and closing brackets should match up. In the expression {\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}{\frac{1}{n^2)\ there are 8 opening braces and only four closing ones. If you correct this imbalance then you should find that the input $$\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{n^2}}$$ will produce $\frac{1}{\sum\limits_{n = 1}^{\infty}\frac{1}{n^2}}$.

In fact my house's exterior number is

$4\,\Gamma \! \left(\frac{1}{2}\right)^{\!\!4}\left(\sum\limits_ {n=1}^\infty\frac{1}{n^2}\right)^{\!\!-1}$ , and

my apartment's number is $-2e^{\pi i}\sum\limits_{n=0}^\infty\left(\frac{1}{2}\right) ^{\!\!n}$

Tonio