Math formatting "Pro Tips" edition: Stacking characters! - "?"

1 Answer
Mar 30, 2015

I was trying to answer a chemistry question just now and came across a very useful function, especially for math expressions.

Here's how it goes

hashtag underbrace(whatever) hashtag

it'll look like this

#underbrace(2+2+2)#

#underbrace("testing, testing...")#

If you want, you can add a label to it by writing

hashtag underbrace(whatever)_(label) hashtag

you'll get

#underbrace(2+2+2)_("3 times")#

#4+ n + underbrace(x + ... + x)_("n times") + 3 + 5#

You can use overbrace as well to get

#overbrace(2+ 2 + 2)#

To write above the expression use

hashtag overbrace(whatever)^(label) hashtag

#overbrace(x + x + x + ... + x)^("100 times")#

Anyway, you can get pretty creative with this stuff, as I'm sure you will.

#underbrace(AB + CD)_(color(blue)("reactants")) -> overbrace(CB + AD)^(color(green)("products")#

#underbrace(x^(2) * x^(2) * x^(2) * ... * x^(2))_("10 times") = x^(overbrace(2 + 2 + ... + 2)^("10 times")) = x^(20)#

Another interesting one

hashtage stackrel(text you want on top)(text you want on the bottom) hashtag

it produces

#stackrel("whatever text you want on top")("whatever text you want on the bottom")#

If you want to use two or more underbrace or overbrace functions in a row, use this syntax

hashtag overbrace(whatever)^text(label) hashtag

or

hashtag underbrace(whatever)_text(label) hashtag

you can write stuff like

#z = overbrace(underbrace(a)_text(real) + underbrace(ib)_text(imaginary))^text(complex number)#

or

#underbrace(n + n + n + underbrace(x + x+ ... + x)_text(Z times) + n + n + n)_text(Y times)#