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Is there any standards for when math is supposed to be upright?

E.g.

The f in f(x) is in italics but cos in \cos x is upright. As I see it, both are functions?

\int f(x) \, dx OR \int f(x) \, mathrm{d}x?

P(Y=y) OR \text{P}(Y=y) OR p(Y=y) OR \text{p}(Y=y) for probabilities?

qubyte
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Jonas Nyrup
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    Some cases are guideline-dependent, for example the 'd' in 'dx' is upright following ISO, but italic following the traditions of pure maths typography. – Joseph Wright Nov 15 '11 at 10:53
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    related question: http://tex.stackexchange.com/questions/33120/should-subscripts-in-math-mode-be-upright – matth Nov 15 '11 at 12:07
  • The difference between f and cos is the same as the difference between x and 1; the former is a placeholder for an unspecified object (function or number), whereas the latter is a specific example. – LSpice May 15 '22 at 15:35

1 Answers1

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Look at the guidelines for mathematical journals for advice. For example, the AMS guidelines and APS guidelines.

In general, anything considered an abbreviation (sin for sine etc.) should be upright. In the case of differentials, it matters what kind a lot.

Johu
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qubyte
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