LyX ⇒ LyX - Fractions look bad

[WK95]

I'm using LyX to type out fractions but they look very messy. Is there a way to make the fractions look nicer?

For example, the denominators are touching the fraction line and that looks bad. Also, the spacing of each line seems a bit too close at times.

[Stefan Kottwitz]

Welcome to the forum!

It seems that you wrote inline math, I mean math within text. Such formulas look better as displayed math, such as with equation environments. Then there's a better spacing around the fraction bar and also around the whole formula.

Furthermore, consider using upright font for elements which are not variables, such as operators and those word like indexes. Otherwise words look like consecutive variables, with bad spacing between letters. Here's some output, compare for example the letter pair "Ta" in italic math (without kerning) to its upright shape.

fractions.png (20.37 KiB) Viewed 4988 times

Btw. the LaTeX code for this is:

Code: Select all

$I_{Total} = \frac{V_{Total}}{R_{Total}}$

\bigskip
$I_{Total} = \dfrac{V_{Total}}{R_{Total}}$
\[
  I_{Total} = \frac{V_{Total}}{R_{Total}}
\]
\[
  I_\mathrm{Total} = \frac{V_\mathrm{Total}}{R_\mathrm{Total}}
\]

Stefan

[WK95]

Thanks, \mathrm really improves the look.

I see that you use \[ and \] but is there something else I can do that is simplified or compact? I have to write a lot of my work for my solutions out and using those symbols between every line would be a bit clunky. Doable, yes, but clunky. However, they were certainly make good sense to use for a couple of formulas at a time.

[Stefan Kottwitz]

As you are using LyX, you don't need to type \[ ... \], click the LyX way, i.e. Insert→Math→Display formula (Shift+Ctrl+M) or the like.

Stefan

[WK95]

Thanks a lot! That works just great.

Before, I was using TeX Code (Ctrl+L).