If you study physics, calculus, chemistry, or any STEM subject, your math flashcards need equations — not plain-text approximations. A card that reads "integral of x squared dx equals x cubed over 3 plus C" is harder to read and harder to recall than one that displays the equation as you would see it in a textbook.
Sticky supports LaTeX rendering on flashcards, so you can type mathematical notation and see properly formatted equations. This guide covers everything you need to create LaTeX flashcards from scratch — no prior experience required.
Why Equations Matter on Flashcards
The case for native equation rendering over plain text or screenshots is straightforward:
Readability. Properly typeset equations are easier to read and recognise. Your brain processes visual patterns faster than parsing "the square root of b squared minus 4ac" as a text string.
Editability. If you spot an error in a LaTeX equation, you edit the text. If you spot an error in a screenshot, you open another app, fix it, take a new screenshot, and re-upload. Over hundreds of cards, this friction matters.
Searchability. LaTeX equations are text, not images. You can search your decks for specific notation or terms.
Consistency. Native rendering looks the same on every screen size and device. Screenshots often scale poorly, appearing blurry on high-resolution displays or too small on phones.
What Is LaTeX? A 30-Second Primer
LaTeX (pronounced "lay-tech" or "lah-tech") is a typesetting system for mathematical notation. It was created in the 1980s and is the standard for writing equations in academic papers, textbooks, and scientific publishing.
You do not need to install LaTeX or understand the full system. For flashcards, you just need to know how to write equations using LaTeX commands — short text codes that produce formatted output. For example, \frac{1}{2} produces a fraction showing one-half, and \sqrt{x} produces a square root symbol around x.
Sticky handles the rendering. You type the LaTeX commands, and the app displays the formatted equation on your card.
The 20 LaTeX Commands That Cover 90% of Student Needs
You do not need to memorise a textbook of LaTeX commands. The following table covers the vast majority of what STEM students use in their flashcards.
Basic Operations
| What you want | LaTeX command | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Fraction | \frac{a}{b} | a over b |
| Exponent | x^{2} | x squared |
| Subscript | x_{n} | x sub n |
| Square root | \sqrt{x} | square root of x |
| Nth root | \sqrt[n]{x} | nth root of x |
| Plus or minus | \pm | ± |
| Multiply dot | \cdot | centered dot |
| Not equal | \neq | ≠ |
| Less or equal | \leq | ≤ |
| Greater or equal | \geq | ≥ |
Calculus & Analysis
| What you want | LaTeX command | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Integral | \int_{a}^{b} f(x) \, dx | definite integral |
| Derivative | \frac{d}{dx} | d/dx |
| Partial derivative | \frac{\partial f}{\partial x} | partial derivative |
| Limit | \lim_{x \to \infty} | limit as x → ∞ |
| Summation | \sum_{i=1}^{n} | sum from i=1 to n |
| Product | \prod_{i=1}^{n} | product from i=1 to n |
| Infinity | \infty | ∞ |
Greek Letters
| Letters | LaTeX command |
|---|---|
| Alpha, beta, gamma | \alpha \beta \gamma |
| Delta, epsilon, theta | \delta \epsilon \theta |
| Lambda, mu, sigma | \lambda \mu \sigma |
| Pi, phi, omega | \pi \phi \omega |
| Capital versions | \Delta \Sigma \Omega |
Grouping & Brackets
Use curly braces { } to group terms. For example, e^{-x^2} produces e to the power of negative x squared, while e^-x^2 would not render correctly.
For large brackets that scale to their contents, use \left( and \right):
\left( \frac{a}{b} \right) produces parentheses that scale to fit the fraction inside.
Example Cards by Subject
Tap any card below to reveal the LaTeX syntax for the answer.
Tips for Effective Equation Flashcards
Having LaTeX on your cards is the foundation. These principles from learning science will help you use it well.
Test Application, Not Just Recognition
A card that asks "What is the quadratic formula?" tests whether you recognise it. A card that asks "Find the roots of 3x² - 7x + 2 = 0" tests whether you can use it. The second type is harder to create but significantly more valuable for exam performance.
This is the core principle of active recall: forcing your brain to retrieve and apply knowledge, not just recognise it. Where possible, frame your cards around solving a problem rather than recalling a formula. You will memorise the formula through repeated application — and you will also build the procedural fluency that exams actually test.
One Concept Per Card
A card that contains an entire derivation — ten steps from premise to conclusion — is hard to review effectively. If you get step seven wrong, the whole card feels like a failure, and you do not get targeted practice on the specific step you missed.
Break derivations into individual steps. Each card should test one link in the chain. This is the minimum information principle, and it applies to equations just as much as to vocabulary.
Include Context and Units
A bare equation is less useful than one with context. Instead of just showing the formula, include:
- What each variable represents
- The SI units
- When the equation applies (and when it does not)
This turns memorisation into understanding. When you see the equation on an exam, you will know not just what it looks like but when and how to use it.
Interleave Your Subjects
Studying physics cards, then calculus cards, then chemistry cards in separate blocks feels easier but produces weaker long-term retention. Mixing subjects together — a physics card, then a stats card, then a chemistry card — is harder in the moment but strengthens your ability to retrieve the right formula in the right context.
This is the interleaving effect, and spaced repetition apps handle it naturally. When you review all your due cards together, you get interleaving for free.
Use AI to Get Started Fast
If you have a textbook page or set of lecture notes full of equations, you do not need to type every card from scratch. Sticky's photo-to-flashcard feature lets you photograph the page and generate cards with AI. You can then review the generated cards and refine the LaTeX notation where needed — often faster than creating everything manually.
Common LaTeX Mistakes to Avoid
When you are getting started with LaTeX on flashcards, a few errors come up repeatedly. Knowing them in advance saves frustration.
Forgetting curly braces around multi-character exponents. x^10 renders as x¹0 (superscript 1, then a normal 0). You need x^{10} to get x to the power of 10. The same applies to subscripts: a_12 is wrong, a_{12} is correct. Any time an exponent or subscript is more than one character, wrap it in braces.
Missing braces in nested commands. \frac{1}{2x+1} works, but \frac{1}{2x+1 (missing closing brace) will break rendering. Count your braces — every { needs a matching }.
Using the wrong slash direction. LaTeX commands use a backslash \, not a forward slash /. Writing /frac{a}{b} will not render — it must be \frac{a}{b}.
Spaces in commands. \f rac{a}{b} will not work because the space breaks the command. LaTeX commands must be typed as single unbroken strings.
Forgetting \left and \right for tall expressions. Standard parentheses ( ) do not scale. If you have a tall fraction inside parentheses, use \left( \frac{a}{b} \right) to get brackets that match the height of the content.
Getting Started
The barrier to using LaTeX on flashcards is lower than most students expect. If you can type \frac{a}{b} for a fraction and x^{2} for a superscript, you already know enough to create useful equation cards. The rest you pick up as you need it.
The key commands in this guide cover the vast majority of undergraduate STEM notation. Bookmark this page as a reference, and start with the subject you are studying right now. One well-formatted equation card is worth more than ten plain-text approximations.
For a comparison of which flashcard apps support LaTeX and how they differ, see our guide to the best flashcard app for math & science.
