next up previous contents
Next: Math Accents submenu Up: Math mode commands Previous: Large Operators submenu

Delimiters submenu

parentheses
brackets
braces
vertical bars
other delims...
half-open interval
half-closed interval
big parentheses
big brackets
big braces
big vertical bars
other big delims...
big left brace
other mixed big delims...

TeX is particularly adept at ``delimiting'' arbitrary-sized mathematical expressions. Examples include parenthesized equations, matrices, and determinants. Since the left and right delimiters need not be of the same type, there are a host of options from which to choose, which presents an interesting design problem. A workable compromise was achieved by implementing a handful of common delimiters explicitly, and then providing access to other more esoteric combinations via dialogs. Consequently, commands for big parentheses, big brackets, big braces, and big vertical bars (i.e., absolute value signs) will be found on the Delimiters submenu, along with a big left brace (commonly used to define multi-part functions or systems of equations), as well as commands called other big delims and other mixed big delims. The latter two commands are interactive--the user either types the delimiter name directly into a text box or chooses the desired name from a pop-up menu of available options. Also on the Delimiters submenu are normal-sized parentheses, brackets, braces, vertical bars, and other fixed-size delimiters.

multi-line big parentheses
multi-line big brackets
multi-line big braces
multi-line big vertical bars
other multi-line big delims...
multi-line big left brace
other multi-line mixed big delims...

All of the big delimiters have multi-line counterparts (i.e, a vertical, as opposed to a horizontal construct). To access these commands, press the <OPT> key while the Delimiters submenu is down.


next up previous contents
Next: Math Accents submenu Up: Math mode commands Previous: Large Operators submenu

Tom Scavo
Sun Sep 1 11:50:47 EDT 1996