# Should we report $\LaTeX$/MathJax issues in meta?

Should we report $\LaTeX$/MathJax issues in meta?? If so here is something I recently found: The following code (edit to see it) effects the line break behaviour:

 \frac{\text{numerator}}\\\text{denominator missing, linebreak doesn't work}


$$\frac{\text{numerator}}\\\Rightarrow\text{denominator was missing, line break doesn't work} \tag{1}$$

 \frac{\text{numerator}}{\text{denominator}}\\\text{denominator present, linebreak works}


$$\frac{\text{numerator}}{\text{denominator}}\\\Rightarrow\text{denominator present, line break works}\tag{2}$$

• Yes. Some of the MathJax developers roam around the meta site; and some of the bugs are due to faulty SE code. Both parties are roaming around this meta to find bug reports. – Asaf Karagila Dec 4 '12 at 11:56

The \cfrac needs a denominator so it treats the first two backslash \\ as the denominator, a backslash is always followed by a command (even if it is just a space), so what you did was define the denominator as a linebreak.
$\frac{\text{numerator}}\\\text{denominator is a linebreak, text follows the fraction} is $$\cfrac {\text{numerator}}\\\text{denominator is a linebreak, text follows the fraction}$$ but since the backslash isn't define, one has to use \backslash, then nothing appears in the denominator. • but it changes if an additional backslash is added, like this \frac{\text{numerator}}\ \\\text{denominator is a space, linebreak works} and you get this $$\frac{\text{numerator}}\ \\\text{denominator is a space, linebreak works}$$ which gives you what you want. Notice the space after the first backslash, it means that the denominator is just a space. • Assuming there is no space \frac{\text{numerator}}\\\\text{denominator is a linebreak, linebreak works but text doesn't} or there is a space after the first two backslash \frac{\text{numerator}}\\ \\text{denominator is a linebreak, linebreak works but text doesn't} it treats the first two backslashes \\ (a linebreak) as the denominator, and the last two \\ as another linebreak, thus rendering the rest as non-formatted text and you get this $$\frac{\text{numerator}}\\\\text{denominator is a linebreak, linebreak works but text doesn't}$$ • Now let's put the space after the first three backslash \frac{\text{numerator}}\\\ \text{denominator is a linebreak,a space follows the fraction, and text works} $$\frac{\text{numerator}}\\\ \text{denominator is a linebreak,a space follows the fraction, and text works}$$ • Let's put spaces between all backlashes \frac{\text{numerator}}\ \ \ \text{denominator is a space, two spaces follow the fraction, and text works} $$\frac{\text{numerator}}\ \ \ \text{denominator is a space, two spaces follow the fraction, and text works}$$ The trick is simple, every backslash is followed by a command, even if it is just a space, for a linebreak, the command is another backslash. Backslashes are treated in the order in which they are written (from the first to the last) I'm not sure of the termilogies I used or even my argument, so if anything is wrong, add your comment below. • Thanks${ }{ }\$ – draks ... Dec 4 '12 at 14:08