Balancing Inline Math Expressions With Good Typography In Latex
The Core Typographic Challenge of Inline Math
Displaying mathematics correctly alongside text presents unique typographic challenges. The primary difficulty arises from mixing literal symbols with textual characters in a visually balanced way. LaTeX handles mathematical typesetting exceptionally well but inline math expressions within sentences need special attention regarding spacing, scaling and alignment to maintain harmony.
Inline math delimited by dollar signs shifts into math mode but stays positioned on the text line. This allows formulating equations and expressions without breaking textual flow. However, the abrupt math environment change alters spacing, sizing and alignment mechanics affecting consistency. For example, larger operators like summation get vertically misaligned with text, spacing around relations like equal to (=) varies in math mode, and line height adjustments to accommodate ascenders and descenders may differ.
Additionally, inline math lacks display math's spatial compartories for organizing symbols. It relies completely on linear sequencing alongside text. Delimiters like parentheses scale down despite enclosing sizable subexpressions. Fraction lines mingle with letters located on text line height. All these aspects need controlling to give inline math readability and typographic polish.
Setting Math Expressions with Scaling Delimiters
Delimiters signify semantic scope bounds for mathematical substructures. Paired symbols like parentheses, brackets, braces etc should scale naturally by the contents they envelop without overflowing. LaTeX's math mode handles most delimiting intelligently but inconsistent resizing sometimes arises in inline math.
The \left and \right commands explicitly set taller open/shut pairs where needed. For parentheses enclosing wide subexpressions, \left( and \right) substitutes larger glyphs. Similarly, \big, \Big, \bigg and \Bigg variants adjust bigger delimiters. These sizing modifiers combined with manual spacing tuning via \, whitespace separator and \! negative thin space constitute LaTeX's core tools for balancing inline math expressions.
For example, \Big( \sum_{i=1}^{50} i \Big) spaces out the scaled summation bounds correctly within text flow without overflow or misalignment. Such selective delimiter resizing grounded in substantive symbol containment lends structural lucidity. Display math environments inherently offer more spatial leeway, better suiting unconstrained expression growth with sizable delimiters.
Controlling Space Around Math Expressions
LaTeX automatically inserts math mode spacing suited for operators and relations. While correctly calibrated between mathematical symbols, the gaps may visually clash when juxtaposed with text. Reducing or eliminating spaces helps merge inline math with body text.
Thin spaces accessed via \, and negative thin spaces with \! alleviate dense math spacing. Positioned before and after relations like = and operators like +, × etc, they blend equations with textual flow. Similarly, \qquad, \quad, \enspace and \hspace{} precisely insert wider blank spaces when required for clarity.
For example, let $n \,=\, \sum\limits_{i=1}\^{10} i$ be an integer. The thin spacing around = equalizes visual density with text while the \limits constrains the summation subscript/superscript. Together they integrate the equation with the line height of running text.
Additionally, using $math expression$ instead of the displayed variant $ math expression $ eliminates horizontal whitespace padding around inline math. This compact typesetting merges formulas seamlessly without gaps in narrow text columns thereby sharpening alignment.
Using Math Mode vs Text Mode Appropriately
Math mode handles mathematical typesetting but numeric literals and textual operators like sin, log etc need distinguishing when positioned inline. Tex/LaTex interprets undelimited numerals as math operators triggering unwanted mode change. Text mode with \textrm or \text ensures correct glyph shapes for mixed contexts.
For example, while referring to numbers like 10 or 50 within text, \textrm{10} and \textrm{50} forces normal numerals without activating math properties. Similarly, write \text{sin} and \text{log} for textual mathematics identifiers when used outside formulas in prose sentences. This precise demarcation retains body font and style continuity.
Conversely, textual snippets inside math expressions employ \text to temporarily exit math mode. For example, inline formulas like $n=\text{number of items}$ inserts the spelt-out word derivable from context but unsuitable for math typesetting. The isolated text mode preserves font shape and weight during the brief escape before math mode resumes after the snippet.
Manual Tuning of Math Expressions
Automated typesetting adapts well for most mathematical notation but unusual symbol combinations or context specific requirements necessitate manual tuning. LaTeX provides specialized spacing and sizing commands for such precision refinements alongside macros and environments to locally modify inline math appearance.
For example, an integral with multiple elements like exponents, limits etc benefits from space insertion for visual clarity: $\int\limits_{a}^{b} f(x) \, dx$. The \limits constrainer prevents a cumbersome stack of symbols while added thin spaces separate components neatly.
Bold math symbols stood out via \boldsymbol{vect} or \pmb{vect} commands assert without disrupting text formatting. Font, shape and size adjustments through { \Large $math expression$ } or { \fontsize{10}{12} $math expression$ } locally resize entire formulas or parts when normal settings cause overflow or alignment issues.
Such selective tweaks enable customizing math look and feel to each textual situation for seamless incorporate with optimal legibility retained using consistent body font and line spacing.
When to Choose Display Math Over Inline Math
Display math passed as argument to equation environment renders centered, isolated expressions as blocks within text body. Unlike forced horizontal sequencing of inline math, it organizes elaborate multiline formulas via displayed logical structure.
As inline math directly mixes with body font shape and spacing, it suits concise single line formulas or scalar quantities embedded in text. Readability suffers when dense multipronged equations overwhelm narrow line width. Display math clears textual flow via block placement for lucid math content consumption.
For example, the fraction $\frac{n(n+1)}{2}$ becomes unclear as $n$ grows bigger. The equation environment formats it separately as,
\begin{equation}
\frac{n(n+1)}{2}
\end{equation}
better revealing meaning.源
For assessing fitness between inline and display variants, consider formula length, complexity and context. If equations extensively refer textual matter or vice versa, inline math retains closer coupling with the relationship evident. Standalone complex expressions benefit from isolated real estate via centered display.
Example Codes for Balanced Inline Math
The following code snippets demonstrate practical application of above best practices for tuning inline math spacing, sizing, containment etc to match body text typography.
Even simple constructs like fractions integrate cleanly given spacing adjustments around the division line:
The fraction $\frac{n}{2}$ evaluates to...
Scaled delimiters prevent overflow and blend seamlessly:
The binomial coefficient $\binom{n}{k}$ with...
Constraint commands normalize more complex structures:
The summation $\sum\limits_{i=1}^n i$ totals to...
Precise horizontal spacing further refines appearance:
The definite integral $\int\limits_{-a}^{a} f(x)\,dx$ equals...
Textual mode isolates numeric meaning:
Where n denotes a \textrm{positive integer}...
Combined with display math options, these samples cover typical inline math usage cases optimized for textual consistency. Both presentational formats play integral yet distinct roles for enriching technical typesetting like scientific papers via mathematically precise communication.
