How to strike through obliquely, e.g. to indicate cancellation?

Question

How can I strike through an expression (e.g. "2x") obliquely, e.g. from bottom left to top right, so as to indicate cancellation? With the \sout command from the ulem package, I can only strike horizontally.

Answer 1

The cancel package seems to do exactly what you want:

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{cancel}

\begin{document}

\( \cancel{2x} \)

\( \cancel{1234567890} \)

\end{document}

If you're not satisfied with how the cancellation starts below the 1 and ends above the 0, have a look at Diagonal strikeout starting too low and ending too high.