[Tex/LaTex] Best typesetting of formula

equationsmath-mode

Consider the following example.

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{amsmath}

\newcommand*\mathsetfont{\mathbf}
\newcommand*\DeclareMathSet[1]{%
  \expandafter\newcommand\csname set#1\endcsname{\mathsetfont{#1}}
}
\DeclareMathSet{N}
\DeclareMathSet{Q}

\begin{document}

\begin{align*}
  &\{1983/4, 1985/4, 1986/4, 1987/4, 1989/4, 1990/4, 1991/4,\\
  &\hphantom{{}\{} 1993/4, 1994/4, 1995/4, 1997/4, 1998/4, 1999/4\}
   \subseteq \setQ\setminus\setN.
\end{align*}

\end{document}

output

What is the best way to typeset this formula?

The reason I ask, is that I think my try looks 'odd' with \subseteq \setQ\setminus\setN begin just below 1991/4.

Best Answer

My personal motto is if I have a clear message to convey, it's better to make it obvious

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath,array}
\usepackage{xcolor,cancel}

\newcommand*\mathsetfont{\mathbf}
\newcommand*\DeclareMathSet[1]{%
  \expandafter\newcommand\csname set#1\endcsname{\mathsetfont{#1}}
}
\DeclareMathSet{N}
\DeclareMathSet{Q}

\begin{document}

\[
\left\{
\begin{array}{c@{,}c@{,}c@{,}c@{,}}
\ldots         &\ldots         &\frac{1983}{4} &\cancel{\textcolor{red}{\frac{1984}{4}}}\\[1ex]
\frac{1985}{4} &\frac{1986}{4} &\frac{1987}{4} &\cancel{\textcolor{red}{\frac{1988}{4}}}\\[1ex]
\frac{1989}{4} &\frac{1990}{4} &\frac{1991}{4} &\cancel{\textcolor{red}{\frac{1992}{4}}}\\[1ex]
\frac{1993}{4} &\frac{1994}{4} &\frac{1995}{4} &\cancel{\textcolor{red}{\frac{1996}{4}}}\\[1ex]
\frac{1997}{4} &\frac{1998}{4} &\frac{1999}{4} &\ldots
\end{array}
\right\}\subseteq \setQ\setminus\setN.
\]


\end{document}

enter image description here

You can actually make a new column type to ease up the entries. But I always confuse myself with >{}, <{} groups. Block selection of text seemed easier this time :)

EDIT: Converted to a sequence such that mathematically sensitive ones are less offended.

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Formula out of margin

As @carlpett mentioned, LaTeX does not break lines in mathmode automatically. You have to tell it where to perform the breaking. And yes, extensible delimiters specified by \left and \right pairs need to be paired on the same line. A consolation is the use of \left. and \right. to be the "missing" pair on the left/right of another delimiter. However, this does not bode well if the contents between \left and \right are of different sizes between line breaks. For this, \vphantom{<stuff>} prints a zero-width rectangle with height exactly that of <stuff>. This way you can break equations the way you want to, and stretch the height of the extensible delimiters to match each other, even across lines.

A good example mixing all these ideas is contained in section 8.1.1 Braces over several lines (page 25) in Herbert Voß' mathmode document.

Alternatively, foregoing the use of extensible delimiters, you could resize delimiters using any of the following: \big, \bigg, \Big, \Bigg, or \bigl, \bigr, \Bigl, \Bigr, \biggl, \biggr, \Biggl and \Biggr from the amsmath package. Here is an example from the package documentation that highlights this:

\documentclass[12pt]{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}% http://ctan.org/pkg/amsmath
\begin{document}
\[
  \left[\sum_i a_i\left|\sum_j x_{ij}\right|^p\right]^{1/p}
  \quad \text{versus} \quad
  \biggl[\sum_i a_i\Bigl\lvert\sum_j x_{ij}\Bigr\rvert^p\biggr]^{1/p}
\]
\end{document}

Different extensible delimiters

[Tex/LaTex] Typesetting a pattern matching equation

Without an image of exactly how you want this typeset it is difficult to know for sure, but perhaps one of these is what you are looking for:

enter image description here

or perhaps:

enter image description here

\documentclass{book}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\newcommand{\fib}{\mathrm{fib}}

\begin{document}
\begin{align*}
    &\text{if }  x < 2 & \fib X &= 1 \\
    &\text{otherwise } & \fib X &= (\fib (X - 1)) + (\fib (X - 2))
\end{align*}
Another option is:
\begin{align*}
\fib X = \begin{cases}
    \text{if }  x < 2 & = 1 \\
    \text{otherwise } & = (\fib (X - 1)) + (\fib (X - 2))
\end{cases}
\end{align*}
\end{document}

Here is how you can modify the given MWE to obtain better spacing:

enter image description here

Notes:

@{} is used to eliminate the inter column spacing
I added {} before the = to get proper math spacing.
I replaced the $$ ... $$ with \[ ... \]. See Why is \[ ... \] preferable to $$ ... $$? for more details.
Changes as per egreg's suggestions:
1. \mathit{foreign}, \mathit{time\_of\_call} and \mathrm{head} for better appearance of the formulas.
2. Removed \, after \prodtime, and the other uses of \operatorname.

Code:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}

\newcommand{\prodtime}{\operatorname{prodtime}}

\begin{document}
\[
\begin{array}{l l @{}l}
\prodtime V & X = Y                        &{}= 0 \\
\prodtime V & X = f(\ldots)                &{}= 0 \\
\prodtime V & p(X_1,\,\ldots,\,X_n)        &{}= \prodtime V\,(\operatorname{body} p) \\
\prodtime V & V = \,f(X_1,\,\ldots,\,X_n)  &{}= \prodtime V\,(\operatorname{body} f) \\
\prodtime V & X_0(X_1,\,\ldots,\,X_n)      &{}= \mathit{time\_of\_call} \\
\prodtime V & m(X_1,\,\ldots,\,X_n)        &{}= \mathit{time\_of\_call} \\
\prodtime V & \mathit{foreign}(\ldots)     &{}= 0 \\
\prodtime V & G_\mathrm{head},\,G_\mathrm{tail}
\end{array}
\]
\end{document}

Best Answer

Related Solutions

[Tex/LaTex] Formula out of margin

[Tex/LaTex] Typesetting a pattern matching equation

Notes:

Code:

Related Question