TeX (pronounced “tek”) is a computer program developed by Donald Knuth that is used to typeset text and mathematical formulae. LaTeX (pronounced “lay-tek” or “lah-tek”) is a macro package for TeX which extends TeX capabilities. Students who take FSMAT 201 at Allegheny will learn how to use LaTeX. In addition, in the math junior seminar (MATH 585) and for math senior projects, all work will be typeset using LaTeX.
LaTeX is available on all of the computers in the Arter computer lab (Arter 118). If you would like to use LaTeX on your personal computer, you will need a TeX system and a text editor. The easiest option is to use Overleaf, a cloud-based LaTeX editor. If you prefer to install LaTeX on your computer, you will need:
- A TeX distribution. Here are some possibilities:
- MiKTeX for Windows
- MacTeX for Macs
- Tex Live on Ubuntu or Debian Linux systems (install using the package manager)
- A text editor. Here are some possibilities: