displaymath (LaTeX2e unofficial reference manual (November 2018))

Next: document, Previous: description, Up: Environments [Contents][Index]

### 8.5 `displaymath`

Synopsis:

    \begin{displaymath}
      mathematical text
    \end{displaymath}

Environment to typeset the math text on its own line, in display style and centered. To make the text be flush-left use the global option `fleqn`; see Document class options.

In the `displaymath` environment no equation number is added to the math text. One way to get an equation number is to use the `equation` environment (see equation).

LaTeX will not break the math text across lines.

Note that the `amsmath` package has significantly more extensive displayed equation facilities. For example, there are a number of ways in that package for having math text broken across lines.

The construct `\[math text\]` is essentially a synonym for `\begin{displaymath}math text\end{displaymath}` but the latter is easier to work with in the source file; for instance, searching for a square bracket may get false positives but the word `displaymath` will likely be unique. (The construct `$$math text$$` from Plain TeX is sometimes mistakenly used as a synonym for `displaymath`. It is not a synonym, because the `displaymath` environment checks that it isn’t started in math mode and that it ends in math mode begun by the matching environment start, because the `displaymath` environment has different vertical spacing, and because the `displaymath` environment honors the `fleqn` option.)

The output from this example is centered and alone on its line.

    \begin{displaymath}
      \int_1^2 x^2\,dx=7/3
    \end{displaymath}

Also, the integral sign is larger than the inline version `\( \int_1^2 x^2\,dx=7/3 \)` produces.

Unofficial LaTeX2e reference manual