TeX usage in StackExchange

Question

It seems nearly universal for relatively inexperienced posters to StackExchange to write things like \sum_{n} \int_{a}^{\infty} x^{2}\;dx instead of \sum_n \int_a^\infty x^2\;dx. It doesn't seem worthless to acquaint them with the fact that the braces aren't needed unless there's more than one character in the subscript or superscript. Does StackExchange have some FAQ telling people to do it that way?

I've also seen people using \mbox as a substitute for \mathrm or \text or even \operatorname. That is a hideous abomination (the comments on the linked page don't apply only to Wikipedia). Could that same FAQ, if it exists, be prescribing that usage?

Later note: I proposed omitting all mention of mbox from any manual, if one exists, and Phira tries to say I proposed using the manual to "preach against" its use. That is a straw man. I proposed mentioning that braces are unnecessary in some contexts, and Phira wants to make it appear that I was proposing to "preach against" their use.

I'm sorry I tried to contribute here.

Answer 1

I would actually argue that, for a short introductory resource aimed at people who may have no prior experience with $\LaTeX$, it's better to err on the side of too many braces, rather than too few.

Let me put it this way: if someone knows only one way to typeset $x^2$, I'd rather it be x^{2} rather than x^2, because the former will still work when he wants to write $x^{10}$.

(Of course, personally I'm happy to write things like \frac12 for $\frac12$, especially when I'm trying to squeeze a long comment under the 600 character limit. But that's not the kind of syntax I'd use in an introductory reference. As much as I like code golf, this is not the site for that.)

Answer 2

Even if a short guide to LaTeX would be written here, I would be absolutely against using it for preaching against things like x^{2}, mbox or eqnarray etc, as hideous as they may be.

A short guide should be aimed at novices who need some more examples and some links to resources like detexify.

There is a tex.SE site, after all.

Answer 3

When I type Latex myself, I don't do the things you mention. But often I have a calculation on Maple, then I want to paste the result here, so I ask Maple to produce Latex. Then I do have things like x^{2}, done I guess to be on the safe side. But there is no call to outlaw these!

Answer 4

We don't provide any FAQ of our own that explains any etiquette on formatting LaTeX. The full extent of our instructions, which are rather sparse-to-nonexistent, are in the editing help as follows:

Mathematics uses MathJax to render LaTeX. You can use single dollar signs to delimit inline equations, and double dollars for blocks:

    The *Gamma function* satisfying $\Gamma(n) = (n-1)!\quad\forall
n\in\mathbb N$ is via through the Euler integral

    $$
\Gamma(z) = \int_0^\infty t^{z-1}e^{-t}dt\,.
$$

A good post on TeX etiquette and formatting could be supplied here on Mathematics Meta - this post could be linked when educating people. We may possibly (no guarantee) even be able to link to said post from the aforementioned editing help, provided it is authoritative enough by your community standards.

Outside of a standard location on Mathematics Meta, I'm otherwise not sure where would even be a good idea to put that kind of information.