{"id":2654,"date":"2022-04-09T01:43:00","date_gmt":"2022-04-09T01:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/?p=2654"},"modified":"2022-07-14T02:54:50","modified_gmt":"2022-07-13T18:54:50","slug":"plus-minus-symbol-in-latex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/plus-minus-symbol-in-latex","title":{"rendered":"How to write A Plus-Minus Symbol in LaTeX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>This article aims to show you the simplest and easiest way to create a <\/em><em>plus-minus symbol<\/em><em> in LaTeX.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LaTeX allows you to write documents that include equations, symbols, tables, and more. And sometimes, if you are tabulating data from an experiment, you will need the plus\/minus sign or symbol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With LaTeX you can include the plus-minus in your document, we are going to look at how to insert it in LaTeX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_67_1 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69d3cb7a68828\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69d3cb7a68828\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/plus-minus-symbol-in-latex\/#Plus-Minus_Symbol\" title=\"Plus-Minus Symbol&nbsp;\">Plus-Minus Symbol&nbsp;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/plus-minus-symbol-in-latex\/#Syntax\" title=\"Syntax\">Syntax<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/plus-minus-symbol-in-latex\/#LaTex_PlusMinus\" title=\"LaTex Plus\/Minus\">LaTex Plus\/Minus<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/plus-minus-symbol-in-latex\/#MinusPlus\" title=\"Minus\/Plus\">Minus\/Plus<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/plus-minus-symbol-in-latex\/#Math_mode_vs_Text_mode\" title=\"Math mode vs Text mode\">Math mode vs Text mode<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/plus-minus-symbol-in-latex\/#Further_Reading\" title=\"Further Reading\">Further Reading<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Plus-Minus_Symbol\"><\/span><strong>Plus-Minus Symbol&nbsp;<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the time in mathematics and science, the plus together with the minus, also known as the plus\/minus symbol, is used and can have multiple meanings.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In mathematics you use the plus minus symbol, if you have the algebraic solution of a second order polynomial, or a square root solution. This is the most common appearance of the symbol.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile in physics, you may need the plus minus symbol for measurement if you are tabulating values or a quantity with uncertainty errors. For example<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"365\" height=\"334\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image1.png\" alt=\"plus-minus symbol in latex\" class=\"wp-image-2658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image1.png 365w, https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image1-300x275.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Syntax\"><\/span><strong>Syntax<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The plus-minus is generated using a command, no extra package or argument is required, it is a built-in LaTeX command. The command is \\<strong>pm<\/strong> or \\<strong>mp <\/strong>,for example<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code \"><pre class=\"brush: plain; title: ; notranslate\" title=\"\">\n\\begin{document}\n\u00a0 \u00a0 $$ x = \\pm 2 $$\n\u00a0 \u00a0 $$ x = \\mp 2 $$\n\\end{document}\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"218\" height=\"163\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image2.png\" alt=\"plus-minus symbol in latex\" class=\"wp-image-2660\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"LaTex_PlusMinus\"><\/span><strong>LaTex Plus\/Minus<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The <strong>plus-minus symbol<\/strong> must not be confused with the minus plus, they are different. The \\<strong>pm<\/strong> command generates plus over minus.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"MinusPlus\"><\/span><strong>Minus\/Plus<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The LaTex <strong>minus plus sign<\/strong> is the opposite, minus overplus. This occurs if you are simplifying an equation, and the <strong>plus-minus<\/strong> goes to the other side of the equation. It is generated with \\<strong>mp <\/strong>command. Another example&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code \"><pre class=\"brush: plain; title: ; notranslate\" title=\"\">\n\\begin{align}\n\u00a0 \u00a0 x^2 \\pm y &amp;=0 \\\\\n\u00a0 \u00a0 x^2 &amp;= \\mp y\n\\end{align}\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The aligned environment in the document is possible with the package amsmath.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"398\" height=\"184\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image4-2.png\" alt=\"plus-minus symbol in latex\" class=\"wp-image-2661\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image4-2.png 398w, https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image4-2-300x139.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 398px) 100vw, 398px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Symbol minus plus, minus sign is above the plus<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Math_mode_vs_Text_mode\"><\/span><strong>Math mode vs Text mode<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, you usually work in <strong>math mode<\/strong>, denoted by $, $$, or <strong>\\[ \\]<\/strong> when you need to use a command for a properties value symbol, thus we cannot use the \\<strong>pm<\/strong> command or \\<strong>mp<\/strong> command outside <strong>math mode<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore you always have to open the <strong>math mode<\/strong> within the <strong>text mode<\/strong> to use it, using a $ to open and a $ to close. For example<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-syntaxhighlighter-code \"><pre class=\"brush: plain; title: ; notranslate\" title=\"\">\n%minus plus sign\/symbol\\&#x5B;\n\u00a0 x^2+bx+c=0 \\implies x=\\frac{-b \\mp \\sqrt{b^2-4c}}{2}\n\\]\n%plus minus sign\n$$\n\u00a0 x^2+bx+c=0 \\implies x=\\frac{-b \\pm \\sqrt{b^2-4c}}{2}\n$$% quadratic formula in a LaTeX document\nIn Text mode we open Math mode to use the $\\pm$, $\\mp$ symbol.\n<\/pre><\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"610\" height=\"178\" src=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image3.png\" alt=\"plus-minus symbol in latex\" class=\"wp-image-2662\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image3.png 610w, https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/image3-300x88.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 610px) 100vw, 610px\" \/><figcaption>Plus and minus sign<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Wherever you write the command in the LaTeX document, the symbol will be there. Remember it does not require an argument.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are exceptions to using it in text mode but they require external packages, and sometimes it is better to use already built-in LaTeX commands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You now know how to insert this useful symbol in LaTeX. Surely this tutorial was helpful in guiding you in LaTeX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Further_Reading\"><\/span><strong>Further Reading<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>LaTex Tutorial<\/strong> <strong>on Symbols<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/cross-product-symbol-in-latex\">How To Create A Cross Product Symbol In LaTeX<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/hat-symbol-in-latex\">How to create a hat symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/prime-symbol-in-latex\">How to create a prime symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/absolute-value-symbol-in-latex\">How to create an absolute value symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/approximate-symbol-in-latex\">How to create an approximate symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/intersection-symbol-in-latex\">How to create an intersection symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/empty-set-symbol-in-latex\">How to create the empty set symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/degree-symbol-in-latex\">How to write a degree symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/dot-product-in-latex\">How to write a dot product in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/greater-than-symbol-in-latex\">How to Write a Greater Than Symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/norm-symbol-in-latex\">How to write a norm symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/proportional-to-symbol-in-latex\">How to write a proportional to symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/real-number-symbol-in-latex\">How to write a real number symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/tilde-symbol-in-latex\">How to write a tilde symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/union-symbol-in-latex\">How to write a union symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/vector-in-latex\">How to write a vector in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/infinity-symbol-in-latex\">How to write an infinity symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/bold-text-in-latex\">How to write bold text in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/dots-symbols-in-latex\">How To Write Dots Symbols In LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/arrow-symbols-in-latex\">How to write the arrow symbols in LaTeX<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/degree-celsius-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the Degree celsius symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/equal-or-not-equal-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the equal or not equal symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/euro-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the Euro symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/floor-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the floor symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/gradient-operator-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the gradient operator symbol in LaTeX<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/greater-than-or-equal-to-symbol-in-latex\">How To Write The Greater Than Or Equal To Symbol In LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/integer-number-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the integer number symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/less-than-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the less than symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/natural-numbers-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the Natural numbers symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/parallel-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the parallel symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/percent-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the percent symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/square-root-symbol-in-latex\">How to write the square root symbol in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/subset-in-latex\">How To Write The Symbol For A Subset In LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/therefore-in-latex\">How to write the symbol for therefore in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/mathbb-command-in-latex\">How to write with the mathbb in LaTeX?<\/a><\/li><\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article aims to show you the simplest and easiest way to create a plus-minus symbol in LaTeX. LaTeX allows you to write documents that include equations, symbols, tables, and more. And sometimes, if you are tabulating data from an experiment, you will need the plus\/minus sign or symbol. With LaTeX you can include the &#8230; <a title=\"How to write A Plus-Minus Symbol in LaTeX\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/plus-minus-symbol-in-latex\" aria-label=\"Read more about How to write A Plus-Minus Symbol in LaTeX\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2664,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[52],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2654"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5617,"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2654\/revisions\/5617"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.scijournal.org\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}