Mathematics Stack Exchange
Mathematics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [article-writing]

Various aspects of writing mathematics such as style, notation, grammar, frequently used phrases and common mistakes.

488 questions
103
votes
12 answers

Using "we have" in maths papers

I commonly want to use the phrase "we have" when writing mathematics, to mean something like "most readers will know this thing and I am about to use it". My primary question is whether this is too colloquial. My secondary question is what the…
Joe Tait
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82
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6 answers

When writing in math, do you use a comma or colon preceding an equation?

This is a general question about mathematical writing especially for writing research papers and the like. Question: Do you precede an equation with a comma or colon? Example A: The following equation is the Yosida-Hawking-Penrose-Dantzig…
Your neighbor Todorovich
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78
votes
5 answers

How are mathematicians taught to write with such an expository style?

I wasn't sure if this question was appropriate for MSE. One of the major complaints we see in industry is a person's ability to communicate which includes writing. We see the same thing on questions that are posted on MSE by younger students.…
Amzoti
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75
votes
5 answers

How to write a good mathematical paper?

I hesitate to ask this question. However I read many advices from math.stackexchange, and I couldn't find anything similar. A good time always goes too fast! Two years are fled. In the third year of PHD, my major is general topology and I'm facing…
Paul
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44
votes
7 answers

When should an equation be numbered when writing a paper?

This is a soft question on writing math for research or publication purposes. When do we number an equation? Or, when should we not number an equation? Obviously, we number equations when we wish to refer back to them at some later point. But I…
Your neighbor Todorovich
  • 8,472
43
votes
5 answers

Why do proof authors use natural language sentences to write proofs?

I haven't read very many proofs. The majority of the ones that I've read, I've read in my first-year proofs textbook. Nevertheless, its first chapter expatiates on the proper use of English in mathematical proofs, so I suspect that most proof…
Hal
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38
votes
7 answers

Mathematical writing: why should we not use the phrase "we have that"?

In Knuth's Mathematical Writing, he writes on page 2, at number 8: Don't omit "that" when it helps the reader to parse the sentence. Bad: Assume $A$ is a group. Good: Assume that $A$ is a group. The words “assume” and “suppose” should usually be…
angryavian
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37
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5 answers

Why does drawing $\square$ mean the end of a proof?

To end a proof, I often write "as was to be shown" or "q.e.d". Both of these terms make sense to me as a reader. On the other hand, I feel a little strange to put down $\square$ although I saw it many times here and there. In fact, I learned…
roxrook
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37
votes
4 answers

Difference between "for any" and "for all"?

Though searching for previous questions returns thousands of results for the query "for any" "for all", none specifically address the following query: I'm reading a textbook in which one definition requires that some condition holds for any $x,\ x'…
Bernd
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32
votes
3 answers

Starting sentences with mathematical symbols.

I apologise if this is a duplicate in any way or is too opinion-based. To what extent is it best not to start a sentence with a mathematical symbol? I find that when trying to solve a problem or prove something it's an unnecessary distraction to…
Shaun
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30
votes
5 answers

Advice for writing good mathematics?

It's been a (far-fetched, possibly) goal of mine to some day write a math Textbook. I've been thinking about writing this question for a while, but reading an exceedingly mediocre text on Mathematical Modeling has finally provoked me. In several…
Tyler
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27
votes
2 answers

What are or where can I find style guidelines for writing math?

I am a scientist writing my first manuscript with a substantial amount of mathematical methodological documentation. I am using LaTeX, but this is not my question. I would like to find a list of usage rules similar to Strunk and White. I can follow…
David LeBauer
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27
votes
4 answers

Why do single-author math papers use "we" instead of "I"?

Even when math papers are authored by one person, you will see stuff like "We now prove so and so" or "In the following section, we show that...". How come papers with one author use "we" instead of "I"?
math_lover
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26
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8 answers

LaTeX/TeX Vs. Mathematica for Typesetting

I know Mathematica like the back of my hand, but I do not know a speck of $\LaTeX$ or $\TeX$. With regard to mathematical typesetting, is there something significant I can do in $\LaTeX$/$\TeX$ that I can't do in Mathematica? The Mathematica…
Just Some Old Man
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26
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2 answers

In a math paper, is this considered redundant?

If I want to put emphasis on a matrix being entrywise-nonnegative, can I write in my paper "...and thus there exists a nonnegative matrix $\mathcal{Q} \in \mathcal{M}_N(\mathbb{R^+})$..." or is that redundant and should be avoided? is it instead…
User001
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