Using LaTeX while actively solving math problems?

Question

The goal is to get those formulas on the page as quickly as you are thinking of them. So that you can actually solve math problems, or experiment with the mathematics itself.

Question:

• What tools/programs/strategies/tips/tricks/etc. (or combination thereof) can be used to efficiently facilitate mathematics learning/experimenting ?

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Givens:

• Only using keyboard. (no paper, pen, etc.)
• No access to internet. (preferable, but not required.)
• Basic knowledge of LaTeX syntax and programs. (or how to find them)

Show how:

• to use LaTeX, while you are still actively solving a math problem.
• can preview enough lines of math to focus on problem solving.
• to LaTeX quickly.

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Experiments I have tried:

• Using a text editor has the simplicity and speed of typing. Using things like pandoc or mathjax to render from markdown are awesome. However for active problem solving, having to constantly compile the code manually can break concentration.

• Using online websites is good for live previewing, but requires internet access, and therefore isn't ideal.

• Using a regular LaTeX program, which might be the way to go: when combined the proper extensions (I'm not sure which, or how to find them exactly.)

• Using something like Lyx, which actually worked pretty well for active math solving... but it didn't seem to work well for typing code (maybe I just need to change the options?)

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I almost want to create a program that is specifically designed for this... but I have a feeling that I'm not the first person to attempt this, and that there is already a solution out there.

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O' tEx-change, Share upon me your LaTeX wisdoms! =D

(Thanks in advance to anybody who actually reads everything I just wrote here)

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↓ ↓ Links to Various Answers ↓ ↓

• Emacs Org-Mode
• Sublime Text Package - LaTeXTools
• still looking for more possibilities =)

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↖ Handpicked Related Questions: ↗

• Using LaTeX to solve math problems in LaTeX more efficiently than with only paper

• What symbolic math software can output latex quickly?

Very Outdated but still relevant:

• codecogs like software/ IDE/ LaTeX environment ?

• Real time Latex

• Is there any way to get real-time compilation for LaTeX?

Perhaps more answers are buried within this list:

• LaTeX Editors/IDEs

Answer 1

You may find useful looking at Emacs org-mode. It is basically a note-taking utility, with a syntax akin to Markdown, but allows you to do much more than just typing. You can perform complex calculations turning it into a powerful spreadsheet, using whatever Emacs Calc allows you to do (including algebraic manipulation and symbolic calculus). You can also preview LaTeX fragments and export an entire org file to an arbitrarily complex LaTeX files and directly to PDF. So you can make org-mode do the calculations for you and typeset them in LaTeX at the same time.

If this isn't enough, you can run computer algebra systems (like Maxima) inside Emacs.

Org-mode supports literate programming, that coupled with computing capabilities enables you to obtain a fully reproducibly research paper, from computation to typesetting, see: https://github.com/vikasrawal/orgpaper/blob/master/orgpapers.org and these other examples: http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/babel/uses.html#sec-6

Installation

Emacs comes with org-mode already installed, but you can upgrade the package to the latest version with M-x package-install RET org RET. In Emacs lingo, M-x means pressing ALT + x (ALT key and letter x, at the same time, then release them), and RET is the Enter key. For the record, C-x stands for CTRL + x.

Quick start

To start using org-mode, just create a new file with .org extension. From menu: File → Visit New File. Just with the keyboard: C-x C-f (press CTRL + x at the same time, release them, then press CTRL + f at the same time, and release them), enter new file path and name, press RET.

Screenshots

Here are some random screenshots found on the Internet:

Answer 2

I'm not sure exactly what you're looking for. Might I suggest LaTeXTools (a package for the Sublime Text text editor) as an option, since you mention live-previewing of math that doesn't rely on an internet connection. LaTeXTools has this feature (there is also a port of LaTeXTools to Atom, but it does not at the time of writing).

The settings for this are described in the Math-Live Preview Settings section of the README, you can tell it to do live-preview for all math equations, just the currently selected one, or none at all. Because it compiles a mini LaTeX file behind the scenes to make the previews, you can also change which packages those LaTeX files use and which engine.

Note: to do the live preview (and e.g. a similar thing with images), LaTeXTools needs a newer version of Sublime Text. According to their README, at-least Sublime Text 3 version 3118. The details are in the README, it is quite extensive (almost too much).

Answer 3

There is a list of applications that use MathJax for a live preview of LaTeX, some of them being offline editors.

As an example that might suit your needs there is Qute which, by the developer, is described as follows:

Qute for PC/Mac is a text editor with Markdown and TeX support. Qute offers per paragraph preview, i.e., users can switch between editing the source and viewing a rich text rendering with typeset formulas for each paragraph separately.

Note that (according to its website)

[...] Qute is experimental and comes without any warranty whatsoever

It's github doesn't look like it is still actively developed, but I remember it to be quite solid.

If Qute is kind of what you are looking for, you might also want to take a look at TeXmacs.

PS: I can not link to TeXmacs because I lack reputation, therefore it is bold …

Answer 4

Are you looking for something like TeXstudio?

From it's homepage:

TeXstudio is an integrated writing environment for creating LaTeX documents. Our goal is to make writing LaTeX as easy and comfortable as possible.

Among other useful features, it has an integrated viewer, auto completion for both standard and self defined commands and a compilation is as easy as hitting F1 once. With a right click in the TeX-source you can jump to the corresponding position in the pdf and vice versa.

It is open source software licensed under GPL v2, with different downloads for Linux, Windows and Mac.