LaTex for home use

Question

I would like to have a program similar to this website that allows me to write math equations. Is there a good program that is easy to use. I tried the LaTex add in for Google docs, but it is not that good. It was simple to install, but I am not the excite about using it. The output is inconsistent and blurry. Is there anything else out there that is easy to use and has good output? I was looking for something free.

I really would like to take notes on my computer for precalculus and calculus. I'd like to be able to write equations in my notes.

Answer 1

If you are on a Mac, MacDown is great (IMHO).

You can download it at https://macdown.uranusjr.com/

It has two columns, one with your MathJax and one with the formatted equations and text.

I use it all the time for my submissions here. I format them in MacDown and then copy and paste the MathJax into the answer or question area.

I save the .md files so I can refer to or modify them later.

Answer 2

As Marty Cohen mentioned, the Markdown format is really handy!

I use an app called Obsidian- once you've downloaded it you can install a community plugin to have your notes sync automatically to a GitHub repo (you can keep it private). This way all of your notes are synced across your devices.

You can insert $LaTeX$ equations by surrounding your code in dollar symbols $/eqn$, and it renders live. CodeCogs offers a simple tool to generate equations using a GUI whose code you can then copy/paste into the Markdown file.

I hope this helps!

Answer 3

StackEdit (stackedit.io) is a nice Markdown + KaTeX editor in the browser for writing documents exactly as you would a Stack answer. I think documents are saved in local storage, so might not be ideal for use across multiple devices (haven't tested it), but it's convenient to draw up a quick document with math and save as a PDF.

It's very similar to MacDown and Obsidian recommended in the other answer, but run in-browser rather than locally.