$\rm\TeX$ Commands Available in MathJax

Jump to the alphabetical list of commands

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I (Dr. Carol JVF Burns) prepared this page to thoroughly familiarize myself with the $\rm\TeX $ commands that are available in MathJax, and to provide a resource that may be useful to other MathJax users.

Davide Cervone, the lead developer of MathJax, has most generously provided extensive edits, and this page is greatly improved due to his efforts; I owe him countless thanks.

All mistakes on this page are my own (and I welcome suggestions and corrections). Please contact me via the contact form on my homepage.

MathJax allows a syntax modeled on both $\rm\TeX $ and $\rm\LaTeX\,. $ Therefore, web authors can use familiar and concise commands when creating mathematics with MathJax.

Alphabetical List of $\rm\TeX$ Commands Available in MathJax

Some entries are logically grouped, instead of appearing strictly alphabetically.

Examples are sometimes contrived to exhibit particular behaviors, and hence may not represent typical mathematical usage.

Unless otherwise indicated, the delimiters for a math block are not shown in examples. For example, you would see:

a \lt b yields $\,a<b$

instead of (say)

$a \lt b$ yields $a<b$

\frac{a+1}{b+2} yields: $$\frac{a+1}{b+2}$$ instead of (say)

$$\frac{a+1}{b+2}$$ yields: $$\frac{a+1}{b+2}$$

If it is important to distinguish between display mode and inline mode, then these differences will be clearly indicated.

The following information is provided for each table element (as appropriate):

Command name (e.g., \alpha )
Extension information: MathJax includes nearly all the Plain $\rm\TeX$ math macros, and many of the $\rm\LaTeX$ macros and environments; however, not everything is implemented in the core $\rm\TeX$ input processor. Some less frequently used commands are defined in extensions, like AMSsymbols or AMSmath .

To enable an extension, add the appropriate string (e.g., AMSsymbols.js or AMSmath.js ) to the extensions array in the $\rm\TeX$ block of your configuration. A combined configuration file (e.g., TeX-AMS_HTML ) will include some extensions automatically. An extension that appears in brackets (like [HTML]) means that the extension is loaded automatically, when needed. See the MathJax documentation for further details.
MathJax rendering of command
$\rm\TeX$ class (e.g., ORD )
HTML entity reference (e.g., α )
Brief description (unless the command name needs no further explanation)
Syntax for proper usage
Example(s) illustrating usage
Cross-references to related commands

Symbols

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Environments

Know the shape of a character that you want, but not its name? Draw it here!

Symbols

indicates numbered arguments in definitions

Example:

\def\specialFrac#1#2{\frac{x + #1}{y + #2}}
\specialFrac{7}{z+3}

yields

$$\def\specialFrac#1#2{\frac{x + #1}{y + #2}} \specialFrac{7}{z+3}$$

used for a single-line comment;
shows only in the source code;
does not show in the rendered expression

Example (showing the math block delimiters):

$$
% Note: (x+1)^2 is NOT x^2 + 1
(x+1)^2      % original expression
= (x+1)(x+1) % definition of exponent
= x^2 + 2x + 1 % FOIL, combine like terms
$$

yields

$$ % Note: (x+1)^2 is NOT x^2 + 1 (x+1)^2 % original expression = (x+1)(x+1) % definition of exponent = x^2 + 2x + 1 % FOIL, combine like terms $$

Internet Explorer caution:

Some versions of Internet Explorer convert newlines to spaces
when building the page DOM, so that something like

\begin{equation} % some comment
a = b + c
\end{equation}

becomes

\begin{equation} % some comment a = b + c \end{equation}

before MathJax sees it. Thus,

 some comment a = b + c \end{equation}

is all treated as a comment, causing a ‘missing \end{equation}’ error.
It is therefore recommended that you keep comments outside of math mode (using HTML comment style).
If you must use comments within mathematics, then it is best to end them with <br /> (as of version 1.1a):
for example,

$x + y % a comment<br />$ yields $x + y % a comment<br />$

used as separators in alignment environments;
used in HTML entity references within math mode;
for a literal ampersand, use \&

Examples:

\begin{matrix} a & b\cr c & d \end{matrix}	yields	$\begin{matrix} a & b\cr c & d \end{matrix}$
`a < b`	yields	$a<b$
`\text{Carol }\&\text{ Julia}`	yields	$\text{Carol }\&\text{ Julia}$

used to indicate exponents;
used to indicate superscripts;
used for limits on large operators and in some ‘vertical’ constructions (see examples)

<optional #1> ^ #2

argument #1 is optional;
use braces, as needed, to clarify what is the exponent

Examples:

`^i`	yields	$^i$
`x^i_2`	yields	$x^i_2$
`{x^i}_2`	yields	${x^i}_2$
`x^{i_2}`	yields	$x^{i_2}$
`x^{i^2}`	yields	$x^{i^2}$
`{x^i}^2`	yields	${x^i}^2$	Note: `x^i^2` yields an error.
`^ax^b`	yields	$^ax^b$
`\sum_{n=1}^\infty`	yields	$\sum_{n=1}^\infty$	(inline mode)
\overbrace{x+\cdots+x} ^{n\text{ times}}	yields	$\overbrace{x+\cdots+x} ^{n\text{ times}}$

used to indicate subscripts;
used for limits on large operators and in some ‘vertical’ constructions (see examples)

<optional #1> _ #2

argument #1 is optional;
use braces, as needed, to clarify what is the subscript

Examples:

`_2`	yields	$_2$
`x_i^2`	yields	$x_i^2$
`{x_i}^2`	yields	${x_i}^2$
`x_{i^2}`	yields	$x_{i^2}$
`x_{i_2}`	yields	$x_{i_2}$
`{x_i}_2`	yields	${x_i}_2$	Note: `x_i_2` yields an error.
`^a_bx^c_d`	yields	$^a_bx^c_d$
`\sum_{n=1}^\infty`	yields	$\sum_{n=1}^\infty$	(inline mode)
\underbrace{x+\cdots+x} _{n\text{ times}}	yields	$\underbrace{x+\cdots+x} _{n\text{ times}}$

{ }

braces, used for grouping;
for literal braces, use \{ and \}

There are two basic grouping constructs that use braces;
I will refer to them as ‘arguments’ versus ‘braced groups’.
If you're not aware which construct is in force, then you can get unexpected results.
The examples below should clarify.

ARGUMENTS:
In this documentation, arguments are indicated by #1, #2, etc.
An argument is either a single ‘token’ (like ‘a’ or ‘\alpha’), or is a group enclosed in braces.
For example, the \boldsymbol command takes an argument, notated by:

\boldsymbol #1

Thus:

`\boldsymbol aa`	yields	$\boldsymbol aa$	the first token, ‘a’, becomes bold
`\boldsymbol \alpha\alpha`	yields	$\boldsymbol \alpha\alpha$	the first token, ‘\alpha’, becomes bold
`\boldsymbol{a\alpha}a\alpha`	yields	$\boldsymbol{a\alpha}a\alpha$	braces have been used to make the argument the group ‘a\alpha’, so both become bold

BRACED GROUPS:
A ‘braced group’ is a group, enclosed by braces, inside which some behavior is in force.
The \bf (boldface) command operates inside a braced group, notated by:

{\bf ... }

Here, \bf is a switch, which ‘turns on’ boldface inside the braced group;
boldface ends when the braced group ends.

Sometimes, you may not see the opening ‘{’ that signals the start of a braced group.
In this situation, when does a command (like \bf ) end?
It ends at whichever occurs first:

it is replaced by a competing command (e.g., \bf is replaced by \rm )
the end of math mode (math delimiters form an implicit local group)

Examples: (explicit braced groups are indicated in red, for your convenience)

`\bf ab`	yields	$\bf ab$	turn on boldface; stays on to end of math mode
`{\bf ab}cd`	yields	${\bf ab}cd$	an explicit braced group is entered; the ‘cd’ falls outside this group
`\bf{ab}cd`	yields	$\bf{ab}cd$	turn on boldface; stays on to end of math mode; the braces here are extraneous
`{\bf{ab}c}d`	yields	${\bf{ab}c}d$	boldface operates inside a braced group; the ‘d’ falls outside this group
`{efg\bf{ab}c}d`	yields	${efg\bf{ab}c}d$	the ‘efg’ occur before boldface is turned on
`ab \bf cd \rm ef`	yields	$ab \bf cd \rm ef$	the competing `\rm` replaces boldface
`ab \bf cd {\rm ef} gh`	yields	$ab \bf cd {\rm ef} gh$	the ‘gh’ is still in boldface

Make sure you see the difference in the behaviors below:

`\boldsymbol{ab}cd`	yields	$\boldsymbol{ab}cd$	`\boldsymbol` takes an argument
`\bf{ab}cd`	yields	$\bf{ab}cd$	`\bf` does not take an argument; instead, `\bf` ‘turns on’ boldface behavior

negative thin space; i.e., it ‘back ups’ a thin space amount

Examples:

`\rm IR`	yields	$\rm IR$
`\rm I\! R`	yields	$\rm I\! R$

see also: \begin{array}, \begin{matrix}

bmatrix
\begin{bmatrix}
... \end{bmatrix}

Used to create a matrix (an array) with brackets $[\,,\,]$ as enclosing delimiters;
columns are centered.

suppose that $n$ columns are desired in the array;
then, $n-1$ ampersands are used to separate the columns
a double backslash ‘\\’ or carriage return ‘\cr’ separates rows

Example:

\begin{bmatrix}
aaa & b\cr
c   & ddd
\end{bmatrix}

yields

$$ \begin{bmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{bmatrix} $$

see also: \begin{array}, \begin{matrix}

cases
\begin{cases}
... \end{cases}

Used for piecewise-defined functions

an ampersand ‘&’ is used to separate the function cases and their definitions
a double backslash ‘\\’ or carriage return ‘\cr’ separates rows

Example:

|x| =
\begin{cases}
x  & \text{ if } x\ge 0 \\
-x & \text{ if } x \lt 0
\end{cases}

yields

$$ |x| = \begin{cases} x & \text{ if } x\ge 0 \\ -x & \text{ if } x \lt 0 \end{cases} $$

see also: \begin{array}, \begin{matrix}

smallmatrix	AMSmath
\begin{smallmatrix}
... \end{smallmatrix}

Used to create a small matrix (an array);
particularly suited for use in text;
columns are centered.

suppose that $n$ columns are desired in the array;
then, $n-1$ ampersands are used to separate the columns
a double backslash ‘\\’ or carriage return ‘\cr’ separates rows

Examples:

the matrix $\begin{smallmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{smallmatrix}$ is...	yields	the matrix $ \begin{smallmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{smallmatrix} $ is...
\left[ \begin{smallmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{smallmatrix} \right]	yields (in display mode)	$$ \left[ \begin{smallmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{smallmatrix} \right] $$
\left[ \begin{smallmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{smallmatrix} \right]	yields (in inline mode)	$ \left[ \begin{smallmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{smallmatrix} \right] $

see also: \begin{array}, \begin{matrix}

split

AMSmath

for single equations that are too long to ﬁt on one line, and hence must be split into multiple lines;
allows for (optional) alignment at one or more places, using ‘&’ to mark alignment points

Examples:

\begin{split}
\text{first line}\\
&\text{first aligned place}           &\text{second aligned place}  \\
&\text{and more first aligned}\qquad  &\text{and more second aligned} \\
\text{no ampersands on this line} \\
&                                     &\text{aligned at second place} \\
\text{no amps here either}
\end{split}

yields: $$ \begin{split} \text{first line}\\ &\text{first aligned place} &\text{second aligned place} \\ &\text{and more first aligned}\qquad &\text{and more second aligned} \\ \text{no ampersands on this line} \\ & &\text{aligned at second place} \\ \text{no amps here either} \end{split} $$ see also: \begin{multline}

subarray
\begin{subarray} {<justification info>}
... \end{subarray}

a more compact version of \begin{array};
can be used for multi-subscripts and multi-superscripts on large operators;
columns can be individually left-justified, centered, or right-justified

suppose that $n$ columns are desired in the subarray;
then, $n-1$ ampersands are used to separate the columns
the subarray environment is started with \begin{subarray}{<justification info>} ,
where <justification info> is a series of $n$ letters, one for each column:
- ‘l’ for left-justified
- ‘c’ for centered
- ‘r’ for right-justified
a double backslash ‘\\’ or carriage return ‘\cr’ separates rows

Example:

\prod_{\begin{subarray}{rl}
i\lt 5                 & j\gt 1 \\
k\ge2,\,k\ne 5 \quad    & \ell\le 5,\,\ell\ne 2
\end{subarray}}
x_{ijk\ell}

yields $$ \prod_{\begin{subarray}{rl} i\lt 5\quad & j\gt 1 \\ k\ge2,\,k\ne 5 \quad & \ell\le 5,\,\ell\ne 2 \end{subarray}} x_{ijk\ell} $$ see also: \substack, \begin{array}

Vmatrix
\begin{Vmatrix}
... \end{Vmatrix}

Used to create a matrix (an array) with $\|\,,\,\|$ as enclosing delimiters;
columns are centered.

suppose that $n$ columns are desired in the array;
then, $n-1$ ampersands are used to separate the columns
a double backslash ‘\\’ or carriage return ‘\cr’ separates rows

Example:

\begin{Vmatrix}
aaa & b\cr
c   & ddd
\end{Vmatrix}

yields

$$ \begin{Vmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{Vmatrix} $$

see also: \begin{array}, \begin{matrix}

vmatrix
\begin{vmatrix}
... \end{vmatrix}

Used to create a matrix (an array) with $|\,,\,|$ as enclosing delimiters;
columns are centered.

suppose that $n$ columns are desired in the array;
then, $n-1$ ampersands are used to separate the columns
a double backslash ‘\\’ or carriage return ‘\cr’ separates rows

Example:

\begin{vmatrix}
aaa & b\cr
c   & ddd
\end{vmatrix}

yields

$$ \begin{vmatrix} aaa & b\cr c & ddd \end{vmatrix} $$

see also: \begin{array}, \begin{matrix}

$\rm\TeX$ Commands Available in MathJax

Advantages

Disadvantage

Alphabetical List of $\rm\TeX$ Commands Available in MathJax