# How to add explanation of terms in equation [duplicate]

How can I add explanation like that in figure in LateX under my equation?

## marked as duplicate by Werner, Andrew Swann, Masroor, Jesse, Adam LiterJun 28 '14 at 15:40

Something like this?

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath} % for "align*" environment
\begin{document}
$\text{(main equation here)}$
\begin{align*}
K &= \text{conveyance for subdivision}\\
n &= \text{Manning's roughness coefficient for subdivision}\\
A &= \text{flow area for subdivision}\\
R &= \text{hydraulic radius for subdivision (area\slash wetted perimeter)}
\end{align*}
\end{document}


Addendum: If the text to the right of the = symbols can be quite lengthy, you may get line overflows. If that's the case, you could use \parbox[t]{5cm}{...} instead of \text{...} instructions, where 5cm is a stand-in of the width of the text boxes you want. I recommend setting the material in narrow-width text boxes \RaggedRight rather than fully justified (which is the default); the latter can generate large interword gaps if the text box is narrow.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}  % for "align*" environment
\usepackage{ragged2e} % for "\RaggedRight" macro
\begin{document}
$\text{(main equation here)}$
\begin{align*}

• since these are coded as separate displays, the vertical spacing between them will be rather wide. might want to try gather* instead. – barbara beeton Jun 28 '14 at 13:51
• @barbarabeeton - I thought about that too. However, given that there's no information at all about the structure and/or complexitiy of the "main" equation, and given further that the question is only about how to typeset the equation's "explanatory stuff", I decided to go with a very simple $...$ construct for the MWE. Maybe the OP will furnish more information about the main equation... – Mico Jun 28 '14 at 15:16