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@@ -15,3 +15,4 @@ Nevertheless, occasionally I leave a permanent trace along the way.
 - [I Respect Furries](i_respect_furries)
 - [I'm Using a Trackball (Logitech ERGO M575)](ergo_m575)
 - [I Joined The Tab Gang](tab_gang)
+- [Better Handwritten Math with LaTeX](latex_handwriting)
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+# Better Handwritten Math with LaTeX
+
+2022-09-04
+
+Argument: LaTeX improves your handwritten math.
+
+Put more precisely: If you are a first-year undergrad in science or
+engineering, practicing LaTeX is beneficial for your handwritten math.
+
+I began learning LaTeX in high school for mostly trivial tasks. In
+university however, my calculus professor awarded a 10% bonus to whichever
+group submitted their assignment in LaTeX. Unless circumstances forbid,
+I would be responsible for formatting my own and my teammates' handwriting
+into LaTeX, and secure the bonus even if I was ignorant math-wise.
+
+In the summer semester the same professor taught us linear algebra and
+multivariable calculus, and the bonus remained in effect. Meanwhile, as an
+experiment, I kept my linear algebra notes in LaTeX.
+
+![First two pages of notes](img/latex_handwriting/linalg_notes.png)
+
+Any LaTeX user knows there are two styles for math script: inline and
+display. To use these two options wisely is part of what makes a document
+"beautiful". For example, if I had an equation that looks like `x
+= expression = another expression`, I will consider:
+
+- How many equal signs are in there?
+- If I wrote it inline, how wide will it be?
+
+and, most importantly,
+
+- Will I need to label individual steps?
+
+This is a case where display is way better than inline:
+
+![A chained equation in display and inline style](img/latex_handwriting/long_equation.png)
+
+LaTeX is helpful here because you can always try again if you messed up.
+I learned to avoid overfull hboxes, and formed many other typesetting
+habits this way. I underwent the transition from quick & dirty scribbling
+to structured logical statements (compared to whatever shit math I was
+doing before).
+
+The magical thing is, __these habits aren't constrained to the keyboard;
+they will flow from your pentip also.__
+
+Later this semester we had a midterm exam, where we had to write on paper.
+I knew, with a little conscious thought, where or how large something
+should be even without LaTeX. It was as if I was compiling a LaTeX
+document from my head, except it was more like JIT interpreting. I would
+remember to:
+
+- Leave a margin
+- Align equations by equal sign
+- Label equations
+- Make parentheses large enough
+- Draw a tombstone after a finished proof
+- Write the real set in `mathbb` style
+
+Most of these are trivial, yes, but I believe they contributed to an
+answer sheet that at least went easier on the eye. There were
+significantly fewer scribbles and awkward linebreaks than I usually had in
+high school.
+
+Why is it so?
+
+Hypothesis: Donald Knuth, Leslie Lamport, and the folks who made amsmath
+were all virtually swimming in academia. They expected a math paper to
+look a certain way, and when they designed the (La)TeX ecosystem they made
+it the default. As such, when you are using LaTeX, you are basically
+reusing a template made by top scholars. And when you write LaTeX, you go
+their way by default. The error messages are super unintuitive, but if you
+don't get any, you can be pretty sure you're doing things right.
+
+Conclusion: LaTeX is not only a typesetting program for digital documents;
+it helps you preprocess your mathemetical thoughts before you commit it to
+any medium. If you practice LaTeX as a first-year undergrad, you will find
+handwriting math easier and prettier on the first try.