Making equations with greek letters is easy -- for example, $2 \gamma = 1$. But is there any way to do it with arabic letters -- something like $2 \gim = 1$? I've run out of greek letters in my equations, so arabic is the logical next step...
Oh, and I have looked at this but it is... complicated... For example, I have no need for right-to-left support or the ability to make sentences. Just a single letter!
Maybe this is only a comment, but I really mean it, so I post it as an answer.
If you've run out of all the latin, greek and \mathcal letters, then you're using so many variable names that the reader won't manage to remember them all! Seriously, please try and use less different letters.
I think one shouldn't use more than the 2*26 latin, some 24+7 greek and 26 \mathcal letters. (Probably it's too much already if you use them all.) In addition, you could use "speaking" indices, like a_{\textup{in}} and a_{\textup{out}}. Instead of \mathcal you can also use \mathfrak (which has additional 26 lower case letters), but I wouldn't combine them unless you only want to use a few of those. (Another thing: please don't use both \epsilon and \varepsilon, or both \phi and \varphi.)
Generally, when writing something, always think of the readers and make it as simple possible for them (but not simpler!). It does happen to me, too, that I think I'm out of letters; then I think the material through again and try to understand it better before writing it down.
:-)
– Hendrik Vogt
Mar 16 '13 at 08:00
I think I'd second barbara beeton's comment. If you still want arabic letters: I don't know anything about typesetting equations in LaTeX, but if you are using LuaLaTeX, you could try using the following as your preamble:
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{fontspec}
\setmainfont[Ligatures=TeX]{Junicode}
\newfontfamily\arabicfont
[Script=Arabic, % to get correct arabic shaping
Scale=MatchLowercase] % adjusting the font size
{Scheherazade} % whatever Arabic font you like
\newcommand{\textarabic}[1] % Arabic inside LTR
{\bgroup\luatextextdir TRT\arabicfont #1\egroup}
The you should be able to typeset arabic characters when ever you want by using the command\textarabic{...}:
2 + x = 4 - \textarabic{ع}
I don't know whether or not this would work in some equation or math environments.
\mathfrakfor a Lie algebra, or something similar) and may not be appropriate. I agree that it is a hard sell to start using Hebrew letters, but it could make sense. – Bruno Le Floch Mar 16 '13 at 04:32\nablabelongs). – hpekristiansen Mar 16 '13 at 14:51S^'. The magic energyE_\textup{magic}. The antiproton\bar{p}. – hpekristiansen Mar 16 '13 at 15:02