# Space between equations

I have the following three equations and would like the space between 1 and 2 to be the same as the space between 2 and 3. Unfortunately, because the first equation has a fraction, the space between them isn't the same. I have tried adding vspace between 2 and 3 but it hasn't worked (i.e. the minimum amount of space added by vspace is too large).

Is there a way to ensure the space between 2 and 3 is the same as between 1 and 2?

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}

\title{bla}
\author{Hello}
\date{March 2021}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

$$\frac{P}{A} = e^{i\omega t},$$
$$K = e^{i\omega t},$$
$$\frac{L}{A} = e^{i\omega t},$$


• You should never place consecutive display environments. Use gather instead of three equation environments. It requires \usepackage{amsmath}. Is there a latex package? I don't think so. Mar 11 '21 at 16:25
• that was a mistake - good spot! How can I ensure the space between equations is the same as between (1) and (2)? thanks again Mar 11 '21 at 16:32

With \vphantom:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[super,comma, sort&compress]{natbib}

\title{bla}
\author{Hello}
\date{March 2021}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

$$\frac{P}{A} = e^{i\omega t},$$
$$\vphantom{\frac{K}{A}}K = e^{i\omega t},$$
$$\frac{L}{A} = e^{i\omega t},$$

\end{document}


• thanks! that worked Mar 11 '21 at 16:43
• @jrjrjr it makes the spacing look equal here but consecutive equation environments are always wrong and will produce spurious empty paragraphs and bad spacing and bad page breaks. Mar 11 '21 at 17:44

There should never be consecutive displays. Use amsmath.

Here's how you can make the spacing even, but the final choice may depend on the actual formulas, so it's best to cope with these problems only when you're sure that the text is in final form.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}

\title{bla}
\author{Hello}
\date{March 2021}

\begin{document}

\maketitle

\section{First attempt}

This is the first attempt, let's see what happens
\begin{gather}
\frac{P}{A} = e^{i\omega t},
\\
K = e^{i\omega t},
\\
\frac{L}{A} = e^{i\omega t},
\end{gather}

\section{Second attempt}

This is the second attempt, with a phantom;
leave this to the final revision of the
document, when no more changes to the text
are likely
\begin{gather}
\frac{P}{A} = e^{i\omega t},
\\
K = e^{i\omega t}, \vphantom{\frac{P}{A}}
\\
\frac{L}{A} = e^{i\omega t},
\end{gather}

\end{document}


Depending on the actual formulas, you might also consider align instead of gather.

• thanks for your comment. Is it possible to label each equation separately using the 1st attempt? i.e. using \label{} Mar 11 '21 at 23:21
• @jrjrjr Add a \label next to the equations. Mar 12 '21 at 7:37