mathit
Formats mathematical text with italicized letters while maintaining proper spacing and appearance in mathematical contexts.
Overview
Essential for typesetting variables and mathematical identifiers with proper italic formatting, particularly when longer sequences of letters need to be displayed in mathematical notation.
- Provides better spacing and kerning compared to regular italic text in math mode.
- Commonly used for multi-letter variable names or mathematical functions not predefined in LaTeX.
- Particularly useful in physics and engineering for quantities like Reynolds number (Re) or mathematical expressions requiring multiple letters.
- Preserves the mathematical nature of the text while ensuring proper italic appearance.
Examples
Using mathit for variable names in mathematical expressions
f(\mathit{length}, \mathit{width}) = 2\mathit{length} + 2\mathit{width}Distinguishing multi-letter variables in physics equations
\mathit{mass} = \mathit{density} \cdot \mathit{volume}Mathematical function names with multiple letters
\mathit{area} = \pi r^2