Files in the mathp2 locker

The LaTeX style file mathp2.sty can be used to produce papers in the same format and style as the paper ``Writing a Math Phase Two Paper'' by using the commands of the LaTeX article document style. To access the style file and sample files on athena, use the following command.

     The directory /mit/mathp2 contains the following files:

       README.tex, README.dvi, README -- These are instructions.

       mathp2.sty -- A style file for producing papers in the style used and described in ``Writing a Math Phase Two Paper.''

       thmp2.sty -- A style file adding new commands for theorem and proof environments.

       piil.tex, piil.dvi --The LaTeX source and DVI file for ``Writing a Math Phase Two Paper.''

       figure.xfig, figure.ps -- The figure in ``Writing a Math Phase Two Paper."

       skeleton.tex -- A short file with structural declarations that you can copy to your own directory (with a new name) to use to start your paper.

       coversheet.tex, coversheet.dvi -- The TeX source and DVI file for the cover sheet, to be filled out by hand by you and your sponsor.

       amsplain.bst, amsalpha.bst -- Bibliography style files for BibTeX that format reference lists in the style used by math journals. If you use BibTeX, set your bibliographystyle declaration to amsplain or amsalpha instead of plain or alpha, respectively.

     The combination of piil.dvi and figure.ps may be printed with dvips via the command

Differences between mathp2 and article styles

     The mathp2 style is implemented as an option to the LaTeX article style. In order for LaTeX to find the new style files, you should add the following line to your .environment file while you're workingon your paper. If you already define TEXINPUTS, adjust it appropriately. Note that this definition changed in Athena release 7.7.

     In your LaTeX file, your documentstyle declaration should be as follows. Note that mathp2 and thmp2 are actually independent of each other, that you may use other standard point sizes, and that you may use other options as well.

     Except for the new theorem and proof environments, the commands available are exactly the same as in the ordinary LaTeX article documentstyle; certain commands, whose use is discouraged in short contemporary mathematical writing, will issue warnings, but will still function. The output produced by the ordinary LaTeX commands is altered to look similar to the document ``Writing a Math Phase Two Paper.''

     The mathp2 style file makes the following changes to the normal article style.

• Page dimensions are enlarged to a 6.5'' x 9'' text area.

• The fonts and spacing in the paper title, abstract, main section headings, and appendix section headings are altered.

• The components of section numbers are separated by dashes instead of periods (though subsectioning is discouraged in short papers). Equations, tables, and figures are numbered consecutively within each section, and the components of the numbers are separated by dashes.

• Bold citation keys are produced by \cite and \bibitem. The normal extra space following periods is inappropriate in citation remarks, which use periods for abbreviations, so it is eliminated.

article style: [6, p. 2] mathp2 style: [6, p. 2]

• Figures and tables are placed at the point where the command for them was issued, if possible, or on a later page; the article documentstyle normally first tries to place them at the top of the current page, which is too early. The caption styles are changed.

                                                        article style                        mathp2 style

• Warnings are issued if the commands used in the paper violate certain structural rules discussed in ``Writing a Math Phase Two Paper.'' The tests performed are not comprehensive or foolproof.

New commands available with thmp2.sty

• New theorem environments.

\begin{theorem} ... \end{theorem}

          These produce a theorem heading and number, and italicize the enclosed text. The optional field Theorem Name could also contain an author's name or a citation; to include a citation with page numbers, use the new command \citep{pages}{source} instead of \cite[pages]{source}, as the '['' in the latter confuses LaTeX. The word theorem may be replaced by any of

and these will all be numbered in the same numbering sequence. The components of the numbers are separated by dashes instead of periods.

Definitions and remarks may be numbered in the same sequence by replacing theorem with definition or remark. They are typeset differently than theorems; the word ``Definition'' or ``Remark'' is italicized, and everything else is in roman.

To define a new environment ``foo'' that prints a heading like ``Foo 1-3'' in the same numbering sequence as the theorem environments, use the ordinary LaTeX command

            and to define a new environment ``bar'' that works like definitions, use the new command

• New proof environment.
                                                       \begin{proof} ... \end{proof}

This produces a proof heading, and vertical space around the proof. To end the proof with a symbol, change the value of the \qed macro; for example, to end all proofs with a right-justified left triangle, use the following command before any proofs.
                                                 \renewcommand{\qed}{\hfill$\triangleleft$}

Problems with mathp2.sty and thmp2.sty

     If you think you have found a bug in mathp2.sty, temporarily replace your \documentstyle command with one of the following.

       If you use the new theorem/proof environments:        \documentstyle[12pt,thmp2]{article}

       If you don't use them at all:                                       \documentstyle[12pt]

     Because mathp2.sty does not add any new commands or change the syntax of old ones, your file should run through the ordinary LaTeX article documentstyle without any further changes. If the problem you encountered goes away when you eliminate mathp2 from the documentstyle options, you may have found a bug, and should report it to mathp2@mit.edu. If the problem does not go away with the new documentstyle command, it is probably unrelated to the mathp2 documentstyle, and you should seek help elsewhere; try OLC.