Using Mathematical Formulas in Typora

Overview of Typora

Typora is a minimalist Markdown editor distinguished by its real-time rendering feature, which lets users write and preview formatted content in a single pane, unlike most other Markdown tools that separate editing and preview windows.

Basic Formula Insertion

There are two formats for mathematical formulas in Typora:

  1. Inline formulas: Embedded within text, wrapped with single $ delimiters, e.g., $ E = mc^2 $
  2. Display formulas: Rendered on their own line, wrapped with double $$ delimiters, e.g., $$ \int_0^\infty e^{-x} dx = 1 $$

Subscripts and Superscripts

Use ^ for superscripts and _ for subscripts. Wrap multi-character subscripts/superscripts in {} to group them. You can nest subscripts and superscripts, or use both on a single element.

Example:

$$ x^{y^z} = (1+\mathrm{e}^x)^{-2xy^w} $$

To add subscripts/superscripts to both sides of a symbol, use the \sideset command, or add the modifiers directly before/after the symbol:

$$ \sideset{^1_2}{^3_4}\bigotimes \quad \text{or} \quad {^1_2}\bigotimes {^3_4} $$

Brackets and Separators

Standard brackets (), [], and | render as themselves. Use \{ and \} to display literal curly braces. For scaled brackets that match the height of surrounding content, use \left and \right paired commands.

Common special brackets:

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\langle $\langle$ \rangle $\rangle$
\lceil $\lceil$ \rceil $\rceil$
\lfloor $\lfloor$ \rfloor $\rfloor$
\lbrace $\lbrace$ \rbrace $\rbrace$
\lvert $\lvert$ \rvert $\rvert$
\lVert $\lVert$ \rVert $\rVert$

To add vertical dividers for vector norms, use \lVert and \rVert:

$$ \lVert \boldsymbol{X}_i - \boldsymbol{S}_j \rVert^2 $$

For partial scaling without rendering one side of a bracket pair, use \left. or \right.:

$$ \left. \frac{\mathrm{d}u}{\mathrm{d}x} \right|_{x=0} $$

Fractions

Use \frac{numerator}{denominator} for nested fractions, or numerator \over denominator for single-layer fractions. For two-character fractions, use the shorthand \frac ab.

Examples:

$$ \frac{a-1}{b-1} \quad \text{or} \quad {a+1 \over b+1} $$
$$ \frac 12, \frac 1a, \frac a2 $$

Square Roots and Radicals

Use \sqrt[root index]{radicand} to display radicals. Omit the root index to default to square roots:

$$ \sqrt{2} \quad \text{or} \quad \sqrt[n]{3} $$

Ellipses

Use \ldots for ellipses aligned with the text baseline, and \cdots for ellipses aligned with the text midline:

$$ f(x_1,x_2,\underbrace{\ldots}_{\rm ldots},x_n) = x_1^2 + x_2^2 + \underbrace{\cdots}_{\rm cdots} + x_n^2 $$

Vectors

Use \vec{symbol} for basic vector notation, or \overrightarrow, \overleftarrow, \overleftrightarrow for custom arrow styles:

$$ \vec{a} \cdot \vec{b} = 0 $$
$$ \overleftarrow{xy} \quad \overleftrightarrow{xy} \quad \overrightarrow{xy} $$

Integrals

Use \int_{lower limit}^{upper limit}{integrand} to display integrals. Add \,\mathrm{d} before the integration variable for proper spacing and font:

$$ \int_0^1 x^2 \,\mathrm{d}x $$

Limits

Use \lim_{variable \to expression} to display limit notation. You can replace \to with any custom arrow:

$$ \lim_{n \to \infty} \frac{1}{n(n+1)} \quad \text{and} \quad \lim_{x \leftarrow \text{sample}} \frac{1}{n(n+1)} $$

Summation and Product Notation

Use \sum_{subscript}^{superscript}{term} for summations, \prod for products, \bigcup for unions, and \bigcap for intersections:

$$ \sum_{i=1}^n \frac{1}{i^2} \quad \text{and} \quad \prod_{i=1}^n \frac{1}{i^2} \quad \text{and} \quad \bigcup_{i=1}^2 \mathbb{R} $$

Greek Letters

Use \lowercase name for lowercase Greek letters, and \Uppercase Name for uppercase Greek letters. For uppercase letters that match standard Latin letters, just use the Latin uppercase character directly.

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\alpha $\alpha$ A $A$
\beta $\beta$ B $B$
\gamma $\gamma$ \Gamma $\Gamma$
\delta $\delta$ \Delta $\Delta$
\epsilon $\epsilon$ E $E$
\zeta $\zeta$ Z $Z$
\eta $\eta$ H $H$
\theta $\theta$ \Theta $\Theta$
\iota $\iota$ I $I$
\kappa $\kappa$ K $K$
\lambda $\lambda$ \Lambda $\Lambda$
\mu $\mu$ M $M$
\nu $\nu$ N $N$
\xi $\xi$ \Xi $\Xi$
o $o$ O $O$
\pi $\pi$ \Pi $\Pi$
\rho $\rho$ P $P$
\sigma $\sigma$ \Sigma $\Sigma$
\tau $\tau$ T $T$
\upsilon $\upsilon$ \Upsilon $\Upsilon$
\phi $\phi$ \Phi $\Phi$
\chi $\chi$ X $X$
\psi $\psi$ \Psi $\Psi$
\omega $\omega$ \Omega $\Omega$

Some Greek letters have variant forms prefixed with \var-:

Lowercase Uppercase Variant Form Rendered
\epsilon E \varepsilon $\varepsilon$
\theta \Theta \vartheta $\vartheta$
\rho P \varrho $\varrho$
\sigma \Sigma \varsigma $\varsigma$
\phi \Phi \varphi $\varphi$

Special Characters and Operators

For a full list of LaTeX symbols, refer to the official MathJax documentation. You can adjust text size with commands like \large, \small, \tiny, up to \Huge.

Relational Operators

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\pm $\pm$ \times $\times$
\div $\div$ \mid $\mid$
\nmid $\nmid$ \cdot $\cdot$
\circ $\circ$ \ast $\ast$
\bigodot $\bigodot$ \bigotimes $\bigotimes$
\bigoplus $\bigoplus$ \leq $\leq$
\geq $\geq$ \neq $\neq$
\approx $\approx$ \equiv $\equiv$
\sum $\sum$ \prod $\prod$
\coprod $\coprod$ \backslash $\backslash$

Set Operators

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\emptyset $\emptyset$ \in $\in$
\notin $\notin$ \subset $\subset$
\supset $\supset$ \subseteq $\subseteq$
\supseteq $\supseteq$ \cap $\cap$
\cup $\cup$ \vee $\vee$
\wedge $\wedge$ \uplus $\uplus$
\top $\top$ \bot $\bot$
\complement $\complement$

Logarithmic Operators

Input Rendered
\log $\log$
\lg $\lg$
\ln $\ln$

Trigonometric Operators

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\backsim $\backsim$ \cong $\cong$
\angle A $\angle A$ \sin $\sin$
\cos $\cos$ \tan $\tan$
\csc $\csc$ \sec $\sec$
\cot $\cot$

Calculus Operators

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\int $\int$ \iint $\iint$
\iiint $\iiint$ \partial $\partial$
\oint $\oint$ \prime $\prime$
\lim $\lim$ \infty $\infty$
\nabla $\nabla$

Logical Operators

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\because $\because$ \therefore $\therefore$
\neg $\neg$ \forall $\forall$
\exists $\exists$ \not\subset $\not\subset$
\not< $\not<$ \not> $\not>$
\not= $\not=$

Hat and Bar Symbols

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\hat{xy} $\hat{xy}$ \widehat{xyz} $\widehat{xyz}$
\bar{x} $\bar{x}$ \tilde{xy} $\tilde{xy}$
\widetilde{xyz} $\widetilde{xyz}$ \acute{y} $\acute{y}$
\breve{xy} $\breve{xy}$ \check{y} $\check{y}$
\grave{y} $\grave{y}$ \dot{xy} $\dot{xy}$
\ddot{x} $\ddot{x}$ \dddot{x} $\dddot{x}$

Decorations and Frames

Input Rendered
\fbox{a+b+c+d} $\fbox{a+b+c+d}$
\overleftarrow{a+b+c+d} $\overleftarrow{a+b+c+d}$
\overrightarrow{a+b+c+d} $\overrightarrow{a+b+c+d}$
\overleftrightarrow{a+b+c+d} $\overleftrightarrow{a+b+c+d}$
\underleftarrow{a+b+c+d} $\underleftarrow{a+b+c+d}$
\underrightarrow{a+b+c+d} $\underrightarrow{a+b+c+d}$
\underleftrightarrow{a+b+c+d} $\underleftrightarrow{a+b+c+d}$
\overline{a+b+c+d} $\overline{a+b+c+d}$
\underline{a+b+c+d} $\underline{a+b+c+d}$
\overbrace{a+b+c+d}^{Sample} $\overbrace{a+b+c+d}^{Sample}$
\underbrace{a+b+c+d}_{Sample} $\underbrace{a+b+c+d}_{Sample}$
\overbrace{a+\underbrace{b+c}_{1.0}+d}^{2.0} $\overbrace{a+\underbrace{b+c}_{1.0}+d}^{2.0}}$

Arrow Symbols

Recommended arrows:

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\to $\to$ \mapsto $\mapsto$
\implies $\implies$ \iff $\iff$
\impliedby $\impliedby`

Full arrow set:

Input Rendered Input Rendered
\uparrow $\uparrow$ \Uparrow $\Uparrow$
\downarrow $\downarrow$ \Downarrow $\Downarrow$
\leftarrow $\leftarrow$ \Leftarrow $\Leftarrow$
\rightarrow $\rightarrow$ \Rightarrow $\Rightarrow$
\leftrightarrow $\leftrightarrow$ \Leftrightarrow $\Leftrightarrow$
\longleftarrow $\longleftarrow$ \Longleftarrow $\Longleftarrow$
\longrightarrow $\longrightarrow$ \Longrightarrow $\Longrightarrow$
\longleftrightarrow $\longleftrightarrow$ \Longleftrightarrow $\Longleftrightarrow$

Font Styling for Math

Use {\font{text}} to change the font of math text. Default math text is italic. Available fonts:

Font Command Full Alphabet Support Rendered Example Font Command Uppercase Only Support Rendered Example
\rm Roman Type $\rm{Sample}$ \mathcal Calligraphic $\mathcal{SAMPLE}$
\it Italic $\it{Sample}$ \mathbb Blackboard Bold $\mathbb{SAMPLE}$
\bf Bold $\bf{Sample}$ \mit Math Italic $\mit{SAMPLE}$
\sf Sans-Serif $\sf{Sample}$ \scr Script $\scr{SAMPLE}$
\tt Typewriter $\tt{Sample}$ \frak Fraktur $\frak{SAMPLE}$

Use \boldsymbol{} to add bold formatting for vectors and matrices:

$$ \vec{\boldsymbol{\alpha}} $$

For better integral notation, use \mathrm{d}x instead of plain dx:

\begin{array}{cc}
    \mathrm{Bad} & \mathrm{Better} \\
    \hline \\
    \int_0^1 x^2 dx & \int_0^1 x^2 \,\mathrm{d}x
\end{array}

Highlighting Formulas

Use \bbox[background, padding, border: style] to highlight formulas:

$$
\bbox[yellow]{
    e^x=\lim_{n\to\infty} \left( 1+\frac{x}{n} \right)^n \qquad (1)
}
$$

You can also add custom padding, border colors, and widths:

$$
\bbox[#9ff, 5px, border:2px solid #f1f2f6]{
    e^x=\lim_{n\to\infty} \left( 1+\frac{x}{n} \right)^n \qquad (1)
}
$$

Matrices and Arrays

Basic Matrix

Use \begin{matrix} ... \end{matrix} with & to separate columns and \\ to separate rows:

$$
\begin{matrix}
    1 & x & x^2 \\
    1 & y & y^2 \\
    1 & z & z^2 \\
\end{matrix}
$$

Styled Matrices

Use different environments for different bracket styles:

  • pmatrix: Parentheses
  • bmatrix: Square brackets
  • Bmatrix: Curly braces
  • vmatrix: Vertical bars
  • Vmatrix: Double vertical bars
$$
\begin{pmatrix} 1 & 2 \\ 3 & 4 \\ \end{pmatrix}
$$
$$
\begin{bmatrix} 1 & 2 \\ 3 & 4 \\ \end{bmatrix}
$$

Matrices with Ellipses

Use \cdots, \vdots, and \ddots for ellipses in matrices:

$$
\begin{pmatrix}
    1 & a_1 & a_1^2 & \cdots & a_1^n \\
    1 & a_2 & a_2^2 & \cdots & a_2^n \\
    \vdots & \vdots & \vdots & \ddots & \vdots \\
    1 & a_m & a_m^2 & \cdots & a_m^n \\
\end{pmatrix}

Inline Matrices

Use \bigl(\begin{smallmatrix} ... \end{smallmatrix}\bigr) for inline matrices:

This is an inline matrix example: $\bigl(\begin{smallmatrix} a & b \\ c & d \end{smallmatrix}\bigr)$.

Aligned Equation Sequences

Use \begin{align} ... \end{align} to create aligned, numbered equation sequences. Use align* for unnumbered sequences:

$$
\begin{align}
    \sqrt{37} & = \sqrt{\frac{73^2-1}{12^2}} \\
              & = \sqrt{\frac{73^2}{12^2} \cdot \frac{73^2-1}{73^2}} \\
              & = \frac{73}{12}\sqrt{1-\frac{1}{73^2}} \\
              & \approx \frac{73}{12}\left(1-\frac{1}{2\cdot73^2}\right)
\end{align}

You can add custom tags and explanatory text:

$$
\begin{align}
    v + w & = 0  & \text{Given} \tag 1 \\
       -w & = -w + 0 & \text{Additive Identity} \tag 2 \\
   -w + 0 & = -w + (v + w) & \text{Combine Equations (1) and (2)}
\end{align}

Piecewise Functions

Use \begin{cases} ... \end{cases} to create piecewise functions:

$$
f(n) =
    \begin{cases}
        n/2,  & \text{if $n$ is even} \\
        3n+1, & \text{if $n$ is odd}
    \end{cases}

Tables and Arrays

Use \begin{array}{column spec} ... \end{array} to create tables. Use | for vertical dividers and \hline for horizontal dividers:

$$
\begin{array}{c|lcr}
    n & \text{Left-Aligned} & \text{Centered} & \text{Right-Aligned} \\
    \hline
    1 & 0.24 & 1 & 125 \\
    2 & -1 & 189 & -8 \\
    3 & -20 & 2000 & 1+10i
\end{array}

Continued Fractions

Use \cfrac instead of \frac for properly scaled continued fractions:

$$
x = a_0 + \cfrac{1^2}{a_1 +
            \cfrac{2^2}{a_2 +
              \cfrac{3^2}{a_3 +
                \cfrac{4^4}{a_4 +
                  \cdots
                }
              }
            }
          }

Commutative Diagrams

First enable the AMScd package with \require{AMScd}. Use \begin{CD} ... \end{CD} to create commutative diagrams:

$$
\require{AMScd}
\begin{CD}
    A @>a>> B \\
    @V b V V \# @VV c V \\
    C @>>d> D
\end{CD}

Use arrow modifiers like @>>>, @<<<, @VVV, @AAA, @=, and @| to define arrow styles and labels.

Tags: typora Markdown LaTeX Math MathJax Technical Editing

Posted on Wed, 19 Aug 2026 16:15:01 +0000 by morgann7