boldsymbol
Produces bold versions of mathematical symbols and Greek letters while preserving their mathematical meaning.
Overview
Essential for mathematical typesetting where visual emphasis of symbols is needed without changing their semantic meaning. Unlike standard bold commands, this maintains proper spacing and mathematical properties.
- Commonly used in vectors, matrices, and tensor notation
- Particularly valuable in physics and engineering documents
- Preserves subscripts, superscripts, and mathematical relationships
- Often preferred over \mathbf when working with Greek letters or special mathematical symbols
Examples
Vector notation in linear algebra using bold symbols.
\mathbf{v} = \boldsymbol{\alpha} + \boldsymbol{\beta}Bold matrix representation with Greek letters.
\boldsymbol{\Sigma} = \begin{pmatrix} \sigma_1^2 & 0 \\ 0 & \sigma_2^2 \end{pmatrix}Force vector equation in physics with bold symbols.
\boldsymbol{F} = m\boldsymbol{a}