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From: knuutila@tucos.utu.fi (Timo Knuutila)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Latex bug???
Message-ID: <1991Feb20.145148.13403@polaris.utu.fi>
Date: 20 Feb 91 14:51:48 GMT
Sender: news@polaris.utu.fi
Organization: University of Turku, Finland
Lines: 65


Just encountered the following. Can someone please explain why the text
produces `weird errors' with LaTeX.

=== EXAMPLE TEXT ===
\documentstyle{report}
\begin{document}
$$\begin{array}{l}
[b_1]\\
\ldots\\
[b_m]
\end{array}$$
\end{document}

=== LOG FILE ===
! Missing number, treated as zero.
<to be read again> 
                   b
...
l.8 [b_m]
         
? 
! Illegal unit of measure (pt inserted).
<to be read again> 
                   b
...
l.8 [b_m]
         
? 
! Missing = inserted for \ifdim.
<to be read again> 
                   b
...
l.8 [b_m]
         
? 
! Missing number, treated as zero.
<to be read again> 
                   b
...
l.8 [b_m]
         
? 
! Illegal unit of measure (pt inserted).
<to be read again> 
                   b
...
l.8 [b_m]
=== END OF LOG FILE ===

The following works just fine ({} inserted before [b_m]):

\documentstyle{report}
\begin{document}
$$\begin{array}{l}
[b_1]\\
\ldots\\
{}[b_m]
\end{array}$$
\end{document}

Regards,

     Timo Knuutila
     knuutila@cs.utu.fi