from Hacker News

Tell HN: I wish there was "IntelliSense" for math-heavy papers

by RicoElectrico on 3/15/25, 7:26 PM with 2 comments

Here's an idea for anyone in search for a project: Some papers define a lot of ad-hoc variable symbols. It would be easier to follow them if one could hover over a symbol used in an equation and see its definition, just like in an IDE.
  • by epirogov on 3/18/25, 5:51 PM

    I tested the form generator

    https://products.aspose.ai/pdf/form-generator

    which generates LaTex from headings, paragraphs and other document controls. And it also generates formulas from descriptions. I copied some text from my article and got a fully functional LaTex with formulas:

    Fundamental Theorem of Calculus

    The Fundamental Theorem of Calculus links differentiation and integration. It consists of two parts:

    If f of x is continuous on the interval [a, b] and F of x is its antiderivative, then:

    integral from a to b of f of x with respect to x equals F of b minus F of a.

    If F of x is defined as an integral function:

    F of x equals integral from a to x of f of t with respect to t,

    then F of x is differentiable, and its derivative is the original function:

    d by dx of F of x equals f of x.

    Taylor Series Expansion

    A function f of x can be expressed as an infinite Taylor series around x equals a:

    summation from n equals zero to infinity of (nth derivative of f at a) divided by (n factorial) times (x minus a) to the power of n.

    For example, the Taylor series expansion of e to the power of x at x equals zero is:

    summation from n equals zero to infinity of (x to the power of n) divided by (n factorial), which expands as 1 plus x plus (x squared divided by 2 factorial) plus (x cubed divided by 3 factorial) and so on.

    Complex Line Integrals

    In complex analysis, contour integrals play a crucial role. The contour integral of a function f of z along a curve C is given by:

    closed contour integral along C of f of z with respect to z.

    A key result is Cauchy's Integral Formula:

    f of a equals (1 divided by 2 pi i) times the closed contour integral along C of (f of z divided by (z minus a)) with respect to z,

    which holds if f of z is analytic inside and on C, and a is within C.

  • by sky2224 on 3/15/25, 11:36 PM

    That sounds pretty neat, and we can call it "IntelliTex"!