LaTeX Equations in Markdown

This page demonstrates every supported way to write and embed LaTeX math in Markdown, and explicitly shows situations where Markdown rendering or LaTeX rendering should be disabled.

1. Inline Math

Inline math is wrapped in single dollar signs $...$ and rendered on the same line as the surrounding text.

Einstein showed that \(E = mc^2\), while the Pythagorean theorem states \(a^2 + b^2 = c^2\).

2. Display Math

Display math is wrapped in double dollar signs $$...$$ and rendered as a centered block.

$$
E = mc^2
$$

$$
\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \sqrt{\pi}
$$

3. Math with Delimiters

Some renderers also support these delimiters:

$E=mc^2$

4. Common LaTeX Constructs

Fractions

Subscripts and Superscripts

Roots

Greek Letters

Sums, Products, and Limits

Integrals

Matrices

Multiline Alignment

Cases

Operators

Accents and Decorations

5. Math Inside Markdown Containers

In Admonitions

In Lists

1. Inline math in a list: \(a + b = c\)
2. Display math in a list:
   $$
   sum_{n=1}^{infty} frac{1}{n^2} = frac{pi^2}{6}
   $$
3. Final item with \(\LaTeX\) inline.

In Blockquotes

The Euler-Lagrange equation is
$$
frac{d}{dt}frac{partial L}{partial dot{q}} - frac{partial L}{partial q} = 0
$$

In Tables

6. Escaping Dollar Signs

To show a literal dollar sign without triggering math mode, escape it with a backslash: \$50 renders as $50.

A price like $10 + $20 = $30 should not become math.

7. Where Markdown Should NOT Be Rendered

In the following places Markdown formatting must be treated as plain text.

Inside Inline Code

Backticks suppress Markdown formatting: **bold**, [link](url), $not math$.

Inside Fenced Code Blocks

# This is not a heading
**This is not bold**
[This is not a link](https://example.com)
> This is not a blockquote

Inside Code Blocks with Other Languages

# Python comment, not a Markdown heading
def hello():
    print("**not bold**")

<!-- HTML comment -->
<p>**not bold**</p>

Inside Inline HTML

this is not bold

Inside URLs and Email Addresses

https://example.com/path_with_underscores should keep its underscores.

An email like user_name@example.com should not italicize _name.

8. Where LaTeX Should NOT Be Rendered

In the following places dollar signs and backslash commands must remain literal text.

Inside Inline Code

$E = mc^2$ should not render as math.

\frac{a}{b} should remain a literal backslash command.

Inside Fenced Code Blocks

$$
E = mc^2
$$

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
$E = mc^2$
\end{document}

# A variable named $total is just a string
price = "$10"

In Plain Text About Currency

The total cost is $50, not \(E = mc^2\).

Prices like $1.99, $20.00, and $100 should remain currency.

Inside HTML Attributes

<img alt="$price" src="image.png">

In URLs

https://example.com/$var/path should keep $var as a URL segment.

In File Paths and Shell Commands

cd $HOME
ls -la /usr/local/bin
echo "Price: $5.00"

In YAML Front Matter

---
title: "$E = mc^2$ should be literal"
price: "$10"
---

In Inline HTML Tags

\(x^2\) should not be processed as math.

9. Mixed Edge Cases

Math Next to Punctuation

The equation \(E = mc^2\), derived by Einstein, changed physics.

Multiple Inline Expressions

For \(x \in \mathbb{R}\) and \(\varepsilon > 0\), there exists \(\delta > 0\) such that \(|x - a| < \delta\) implies \(|f(x) - f(a)| < \varepsilon\).

Multi-line Display Without Alignment

10. Reference Table