bm
Produces bold math symbols and letters while maintaining proper mathematical spacing and formatting.
Overview
Essential for emphasizing mathematical variables, vectors, or matrices in technical documents where visual distinction is crucial.
- Particularly valuable in physics and engineering documents to denote vectors or matrices
- Preserves proper mathematical spacing and italic styling unlike regular bold commands
- Compatible with both Latin and Greek characters in mathematical expressions
- Often preferred over \mathbf when emphasizing individual symbols within equations
Examples
Using bold math to emphasize a vector variable in an equation.
\mathbf{F} = m\bm{a}Highlighting a matrix in a linear algebra equation.
\bm{A}\mathbf{x} = \bm{b}Emphasizing tensors in a physics equation.
\bm{\sigma} = 2\mu\bm{\varepsilon} + \lambda\text{tr}(\bm{\varepsilon})\bm{I}