Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!seismo!dimacs.rutgers.edu!aramis.rutgers.edu!athos.rutgers.edu!shapiro
From: shapiro@athos.rutgers.edu (Joel Shapiro)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: Why is TeX so Great? (want info)
Keywords: tex report
Message-ID: <Nov.12.17.34.32.1990.21192@athos.rutgers.edu>
Date: 12 Nov 90 22:34:33 GMT
References: <yorkw.658380874@stable.ecn.purdue.edu>
Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J.
Lines: 95

This is best answered with an example. Actually the example is in
latex, written several years ago to try to convert some of my
colleagues. Of course, this is for a Physics Department, not an
English Department. TeX was invented for mathematical typesetting, and
if you are not interested in math, it probably isn't the best for you
-------------------------cut here------------------------------
\documentstyle[12pt]{article}
\begin{document}
\title{See What Else \LaTeX\ Can Do}
\author{Joel Shapiro}
\date{April 12, 1987}
\maketitle
\parskip =12pt plus 6pt minus 3pt
\LaTeX\ has a {\tt picture} environment which enables the drawing of
simple pictures. There are two applications which come immediately to
mind.

First, for some purposes \LaTeX\ might replace a draftsman. The
human draftsman of my last paper slipped and let out a professional
secret: while the journals will not accept even the most gorgeous
picture
on paper, they will accept a Xerox copy onto velum, which can be done
by
ordinary high quality Xerox machines. I don't know yet if one can draw
enough in \LaTeX\ make that useful, but I think even simple data plots
might be doable.

Secondly, and less speculatively, this would be super
for exams. The beginning of one is shown on the next page.
\pagebreak

\begin{center}
\makebox[5.5in]{Physics 101\hfill Hour Exam I\hfill\today}
\end{center}

\noindent 1.\
\begin{minipage}[t]{3.25in}
Here is an exam question about a wagon.
I haven't quite figured out what the question is,
but the answers are
\newcounter{ans}
\begin{list}{\alph{ans}}{\usecounter{ans}\setlength{\rightmargin}{\leftmargin}}
\item 1                 %see page 114           %
\item $\pi$
\item $\displaystyle\int_0^\infty dx\,\frac{1}{\Gamma(x)}$
\item \setlength{\unitlength}{1mm}\begin{picture}(50,23)
        \put(0,9){exp}
        \put(5,0){G}
        \put(23.5,0){H}
        \put(5,16){$\cal G$}
        \put(23.5,16){$\cal H$}
        \put(8,1){\vector(1,0){14}}
        \put(8,17){\vector(1,0){14}}
        \put(7,15){\vector(0,-1){11}}
        \put(25,15){\vector(0,-1){11}}
        \put(15,3){j}
        \put(15,20){dj}
        \put(18,9){exp}
        \put(35,9){is commuting}
    \end{picture}
\item None of the above.
\end{list}
\end{minipage}
\mbox{\ }
\newcounter{cms}
\setlength{\unitlength}{1mm}
\begin{picture}(50,0)(0,39)
\put(0,7){\makebox(0,0)[bl]{cm}}                %mostly from p 197
\multiput(10,7)(10,0){5}{\addtocounter{cms}{1}
        \makebox(0,0)[b]{\arabic{cms}}}
\put(15,20){\circle{6}}
\put(30,20){\circle{6}}
\put(15,20){\circle*{2}}
\put(30,20){\circle*{2}}
\put(10,24){\framebox(25,8){wagon}}
\put(10,32){\vector(-2,1){10}}
\multiput(1,0)(1,0){49}{\line(0,1){2.5}}
\multiput(5,0)(10,0){5}{\line(0,1){3.5}}
\thicklines
\put(0,0){\line(1,0){50}}
\multiput(0,0)(10,0){6}{\line(0,1){5}}
\put(0,16.5){\line(1,0){40}}    %added by me
\put(3,37){F}                   %added by me
\end{picture}

\mbox{\ }

\noindent 2. Here is the next question \ldots.

Question 1.\ should be interesting, {\it n'est-ce pas}?

Note this is all pure \LaTeX, nothing pasted on or inserted
in PostScript. The wagon with its ruler takes about 20 lines of code.

\end{document}