Mathematical Notation in Quarto
Greek Letters, common symbols, subscripts and superscripts
You might be wondering…
How can I include Greek letters and other symbols in the text part of my Quarto (or RMarkdown) document?
Basically, you enclose the name of the symbol you want with $\ …$
(if you use LaTeX, this will be very familiar):
| Type this in qmd: | To get this when rendered: |
|---|---|
| $\hat{p}$ | \(\hat{p}\) |
| $\bar{x}$ | \(\bar{x}\) |
| $\alpha$ | \(\alpha\) |
| $\beta$ | \(\beta\) |
| $\gamma$ | \(\gamma\) |
| $\Gamma$ | \(\Gamma\) |
| $\mu$ | \(\mu\) |
| $\sigma$ | \(\sigma\) |
| $\sigma^2$ | \(\sigma^2\) |
| $\rho$ | \(\rho\) |
| $\epsilon$ | \(\epsilon\) |
| $\sim$ | \(\sim\) |
| $\mu_D$ | \(\mu_D\) |
| $\mu_{longsubscript}$ | \(\mu_{longsubscript}\) |
| $\hat{p}_{longsubscript}$ | \(\hat{p}_{longsubscript}\) |
| $\mu\neq 0$ | \(\mu \neq 0\) |
| $\mu\geq 5$ | \(\mu \geq 5\) |
| $\mu\leq 1$ | \(\mu \leq 1\) |
| $\cup$ | \(\cup\) |
| $\cap$ | \(\cap\) |
| $\vert$ | \(\vert\) |
| $\sim$ | \(\sim\) |
| $\frac{numerator}{denominator}$ | \(\frac{numerator}{denominator}\) |
For other Greek letters, just spell out the name of the letter that you want (following the models above). If you want a capital Greek letter, capitalize the first letter of its name when you write it out (e.g. Sigma instead of sigma).
Note: Avoid spaces before the final $ or after the initial $.
Summations and Products
| Type This: | To get this in your PDF: |
|---|---|
| $\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i$ | \(\sum_{i=1}^{n} x_i\) |
| $\prod_{i=1}^{n} f(i)}$ | \(\prod_{i=1}^{n} f(i)\) |
These will format as seen above if used in inline math mode (enclosed in single $s). If you put them in display math mode by using two $$ at the start and end instead of just one, then the result will be displayed centered on its own line and the limits of the summation/product will be above/below the \(\Sigma\) or \(\Pi\):
\[\prod_{i=1}^{n} f(i)\]
Long equations
You can use double $ to bracket equations you want to display on a line of their own. Inside can be multiple mathematical expressions. For example:
$$y = \beta_0 + \beta_1x_1 + \epsilon,$$
$$\epsilon \sim N(0, \sigma)$$gives
\[y = \beta_0 + \beta_1x_1 + \epsilon,\] \[\epsilon \sim N(0, \sigma)\]
Note: Avoid spaces before the final $ or after the initial $.