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What is the purpose of : in math mode?

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What is the purpose of : in math mode?

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6

1

What is the purpose of $:$?

We know that in math mode one should write in natural language and not being so strict with math notation.

For example: $f:Ato B$ is not "correct", the correct way would be $fcolon Ato B$ (and variants).

I do not remember any math book that uses the colon as part of a sentence in math mode.

The only 2 uses I can give to $:$ is when are learning about divisions ($2:4=1:2$) and for scales ($1:2$).

Does (La)TeX give a meaning of : in math mode?

math-mode punctuation

share|improve this question

asked 2 hours ago

manoooohmanooooh

1,2361517

add a comment | 

6

1

What is the purpose of $:$?

We know that in math mode one should write in natural language and not being so strict with math notation.

For example: $f:Ato B$ is not "correct", the correct way would be $fcolon Ato B$ (and variants).

I do not remember any math book that uses the colon as part of a sentence in math mode.

The only 2 uses I can give to $:$ is when are learning about divisions ($2:4=1:2$) and for scales ($1:2$).

Does (La)TeX give a meaning of : in math mode?

math-mode punctuation

share|improve this question

asked 2 hours ago

manoooohmanooooh

1,2361517

add a comment | 

What is the purpose of $:$?

We know that in math mode one should write in natural language and not being so strict with math notation.

For example: $f:Ato B$ is not "correct", the correct way would be $fcolon Ato B$ (and variants).

I do not remember any math book that uses the colon as part of a sentence in math mode.

The only 2 uses I can give to $:$ is when are learning about divisions ($2:4=1:2$) and for scales ($1:2$).

Does (La)TeX give a meaning of : in math mode?

math-mode punctuation

share|improve this question

asked 2 hours ago

manoooohmanooooh

1,2361517

share|improve this question

asked 2 hours ago

manoooohmanooooh

1,2361517

share|improve this question

asked 2 hours ago

manoooohmanooooh

1,2361517

asked 2 hours ago

manoooohmanooooh

1,2361517

asked 2 hours ago

manoooohmanooooh

1,2361517

2 Answers
2

active

oldest

votes

3

The : is a relational symbol in TeX. It is intended to be used in conjunction with =. From the TeXbook.

Plain TeX treats the four characters |=|, |<|, |>|, and |:| as
``^relations'' because they express a relationship between two
quantities. For example, `$x<y$' means that $x$~is less than~$y$.
Such relationships have a rather different meaning from binary
operations like $+$, and the symbols are typeset somewhat differently:
beginmathdemo
|$x=y>z$|&x=y>zcr
|$x:=y$|&x:=ycr
|$xle yne z$|&xle yne zcr
|$xsim ysimeq z$|&xsim ysimeq zcr
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$|&xequiv ynotequiv zcr
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$|&xsubset ysubseteq zcr
endmathdemo

Here the same table rendered in LaTeX:

documentclassarticle
usepackagearray
usepackageamsmath
usepackagelistings
lstsetbasicstyle=ttfamily
begindocument
lstMakeShortInline|
begintabularl>$l<$
|$x=y>z$| & x=y>z \
|$x:=y$| & x:=y \
|$xle yne z$| & xle yne z \
|$xsim ysimeq z$| & xsim ysimeq z \
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$| & xequiv ynotequiv z \
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$| & xsubset ysubseteq z \
endtabular
enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited 44 mins ago

answered 49 mins ago

Henri MenkeHenri Menke

79.2k9172286

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I think := should be typeset with coloneqq: tex.stackexchange.com/a/4217/156344. One should not use $a:=b$ as Knuth said.
  
  – JouleV
  24 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The claim that : "is intended to be used in conjunction with =" seems a bit too strong. E.g., it seems perfectly code to use : to denote conditioning on an event.
  
  – Mico
  3 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If you inspect the typeset version of := closely, you'll notice that the colon symbol is centered vertically on the equals symbol. That's why it's useful to write coloneq, coloneqq, etc.
  
  – Mico
  18 secs ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

1

Quite often, one sees : employed in place of a vertical bar (|) to denote conditioning on some event or condition. E.g., both $E(X : X>0)$ and $E(Xmid X>0)$ would express the "expectation of the random variable X conditional on this random variable taking on positive values".

By default, TeX treats both : and mid -- but not | and vert -- as "relational" operators and inserts an amount of whitespace around them that's also used for other relational operators such as <, =, and >.

For other, i.e., non-conditioning math uses of the colon symbol, one should employ colon, coloneq (or, depending on the package that's in use, coloneqq, etc.

share|improve this answer

answered 10 mins ago

MicoMico

291k32399788

add a comment | 

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3

The : is a relational symbol in TeX. It is intended to be used in conjunction with =. From the TeXbook.

Plain TeX treats the four characters |=|, |<|, |>|, and |:| as
``^relations'' because they express a relationship between two
quantities. For example, `$x<y$' means that $x$~is less than~$y$.
Such relationships have a rather different meaning from binary
operations like $+$, and the symbols are typeset somewhat differently:
beginmathdemo
|$x=y>z$|&x=y>zcr
|$x:=y$|&x:=ycr
|$xle yne z$|&xle yne zcr
|$xsim ysimeq z$|&xsim ysimeq zcr
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$|&xequiv ynotequiv zcr
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$|&xsubset ysubseteq zcr
endmathdemo

Here the same table rendered in LaTeX:

documentclassarticle
usepackagearray
usepackageamsmath
usepackagelistings
lstsetbasicstyle=ttfamily
begindocument
lstMakeShortInline|
begintabularl>$l<$
|$x=y>z$| & x=y>z \
|$x:=y$| & x:=y \
|$xle yne z$| & xle yne z \
|$xsim ysimeq z$| & xsim ysimeq z \
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$| & xequiv ynotequiv z \
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$| & xsubset ysubseteq z \
endtabular
enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited 44 mins ago

answered 49 mins ago

Henri MenkeHenri Menke

79.2k9172286

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I think := should be typeset with coloneqq: tex.stackexchange.com/a/4217/156344. One should not use $a:=b$ as Knuth said.
  
  – JouleV
  24 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The claim that : "is intended to be used in conjunction with =" seems a bit too strong. E.g., it seems perfectly code to use : to denote conditioning on an event.
  
  – Mico
  3 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If you inspect the typeset version of := closely, you'll notice that the colon symbol is centered vertically on the equals symbol. That's why it's useful to write coloneq, coloneqq, etc.
  
  – Mico
  18 secs ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

3

The : is a relational symbol in TeX. It is intended to be used in conjunction with =. From the TeXbook.

Plain TeX treats the four characters |=|, |<|, |>|, and |:| as
``^relations'' because they express a relationship between two
quantities. For example, `$x<y$' means that $x$~is less than~$y$.
Such relationships have a rather different meaning from binary
operations like $+$, and the symbols are typeset somewhat differently:
beginmathdemo
|$x=y>z$|&x=y>zcr
|$x:=y$|&x:=ycr
|$xle yne z$|&xle yne zcr
|$xsim ysimeq z$|&xsim ysimeq zcr
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$|&xequiv ynotequiv zcr
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$|&xsubset ysubseteq zcr
endmathdemo

Here the same table rendered in LaTeX:

documentclassarticle
usepackagearray
usepackageamsmath
usepackagelistings
lstsetbasicstyle=ttfamily
begindocument
lstMakeShortInline|
begintabularl>$l<$
|$x=y>z$| & x=y>z \
|$x:=y$| & x:=y \
|$xle yne z$| & xle yne z \
|$xsim ysimeq z$| & xsim ysimeq z \
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$| & xequiv ynotequiv z \
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$| & xsubset ysubseteq z \
endtabular
enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited 44 mins ago

answered 49 mins ago

Henri MenkeHenri Menke

79.2k9172286

• 
  
  
  

  
  1
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  I think := should be typeset with coloneqq: tex.stackexchange.com/a/4217/156344. One should not use $a:=b$ as Knuth said.
  
  – JouleV
  24 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  The claim that : "is intended to be used in conjunction with =" seems a bit too strong. E.g., it seems perfectly code to use : to denote conditioning on an event.
  
  – Mico
  3 mins ago
  

  
  
  
  


• 
  
  
  

  
  

  
  
  
  
  
  

  
  
  If you inspect the typeset version of := closely, you'll notice that the colon symbol is centered vertically on the equals symbol. That's why it's useful to write coloneq, coloneqq, etc.
  
  – Mico
  18 secs ago
  

  
  
  
  

add a comment | 

The : is a relational symbol in TeX. It is intended to be used in conjunction with =. From the TeXbook.

Plain TeX treats the four characters |=|, |<|, |>|, and |:| as
``^relations'' because they express a relationship between two
quantities. For example, `$x<y$' means that $x$~is less than~$y$.
Such relationships have a rather different meaning from binary
operations like $+$, and the symbols are typeset somewhat differently:
beginmathdemo
|$x=y>z$|&x=y>zcr
|$x:=y$|&x:=ycr
|$xle yne z$|&xle yne zcr
|$xsim ysimeq z$|&xsim ysimeq zcr
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$|&xequiv ynotequiv zcr
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$|&xsubset ysubseteq zcr
endmathdemo

Here the same table rendered in LaTeX:

documentclassarticle
usepackagearray
usepackageamsmath
usepackagelistings
lstsetbasicstyle=ttfamily
begindocument
lstMakeShortInline|
begintabularl>$l<$
|$x=y>z$| & x=y>z \
|$x:=y$| & x:=y \
|$xle yne z$| & xle yne z \
|$xsim ysimeq z$| & xsim ysimeq z \
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$| & xequiv ynotequiv z \
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$| & xsubset ysubseteq z \
endtabular
enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited 44 mins ago

answered 49 mins ago

Henri MenkeHenri Menke

79.2k9172286

Plain TeX treats the four characters |=|, |<|, |>|, and |:| as
``^relations'' because they express a relationship between two
quantities. For example, `$x<y$' means that $x$~is less than~$y$.
Such relationships have a rather different meaning from binary
operations like $+$, and the symbols are typeset somewhat differently:
beginmathdemo
|$x=y>z$|&x=y>zcr
|$x:=y$|&x:=ycr
|$xle yne z$|&xle yne zcr
|$xsim ysimeq z$|&xsim ysimeq zcr
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$|&xequiv ynotequiv zcr
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$|&xsubset ysubseteq zcr
endmathdemo

documentclassarticle
usepackagearray
usepackageamsmath
usepackagelistings
lstsetbasicstyle=ttfamily
begindocument
lstMakeShortInline|
begintabularl>$l<$
|$x=y>z$| & x=y>z \
|$x:=y$| & x:=y \
|$xle yne z$| & xle yne z \
|$xsim ysimeq z$| & xsim ysimeq z \
|$xequiv ynotequiv z$| & xequiv ynotequiv z \
|$xsubset ysubseteq z$| & xsubset ysubseteq z \
endtabular
enddocument

share|improve this answer

edited 44 mins ago

answered 49 mins ago

Henri MenkeHenri Menke

79.2k9172286

answered 49 mins ago

Henri MenkeHenri Menke

79.2k9172286

answered 49 mins ago

Henri MenkeHenri Menke

79.2k9172286

1

Quite often, one sees : employed in place of a vertical bar (|) to denote conditioning on some event or condition. E.g., both $E(X : X>0)$ and $E(Xmid X>0)$ would express the "expectation of the random variable X conditional on this random variable taking on positive values".

By default, TeX treats both : and mid -- but not | and vert -- as "relational" operators and inserts an amount of whitespace around them that's also used for other relational operators such as <, =, and >.

For other, i.e., non-conditioning math uses of the colon symbol, one should employ colon, coloneq (or, depending on the package that's in use, coloneqq, etc.

share|improve this answer

answered 10 mins ago

MicoMico

291k32399788

add a comment | 

1

Quite often, one sees : employed in place of a vertical bar (|) to denote conditioning on some event or condition. E.g., both $E(X : X>0)$ and $E(Xmid X>0)$ would express the "expectation of the random variable X conditional on this random variable taking on positive values".

By default, TeX treats both : and mid -- but not | and vert -- as "relational" operators and inserts an amount of whitespace around them that's also used for other relational operators such as <, =, and >.

For other, i.e., non-conditioning math uses of the colon symbol, one should employ colon, coloneq (or, depending on the package that's in use, coloneqq, etc.

share|improve this answer

answered 10 mins ago

MicoMico

291k32399788

add a comment | 

Quite often, one sees : employed in place of a vertical bar (|) to denote conditioning on some event or condition. E.g., both $E(X : X>0)$ and $E(Xmid X>0)$ would express the "expectation of the random variable X conditional on this random variable taking on positive values".

By default, TeX treats both : and mid -- but not | and vert -- as "relational" operators and inserts an amount of whitespace around them that's also used for other relational operators such as <, =, and >.

For other, i.e., non-conditioning math uses of the colon symbol, one should employ colon, coloneq (or, depending on the package that's in use, coloneqq, etc.

share|improve this answer

answered 10 mins ago

MicoMico

291k32399788

share|improve this answer

answered 10 mins ago

MicoMico

291k32399788

answered 10 mins ago

MicoMico

291k32399788

answered 10 mins ago

MicoMico

291k32399788