How do you type an angle in LaTeX?

If you have ever worked with triangles, circles, or other geometric shapes, you’ve likely felt the need for an angle symbol. These symbols help make your work come to life on the page.

In this tutorial, we’ll explore the magic of creating angle symbols using LaTeX, making your mathematical ideas clearer and more expressive.

Creating a simple angle symbol

Let’s start with something easy. The simplest and most common way to create an angle symbol in LaTeX is by using the \angle command. It’s like a tiny magic wand.

If you want to label an angle in a triangle, you can easily do it with this command.

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
  \[ \angle \]
  \[ \angle{ABC} \]
\end{document}

Output :

There comes a moment when you write this little code, look at the output, and realize how perfectly LaTeX helps you express your thoughts.

Once you try it, you’ll see how simple and beautiful the whole process is!

Using the amssymb package

When you need more complex or special angle symbols, the amssymb package is perfect. This package helps add various mathematical symbols to LaTeX, including different types of symbols.

Using this package, you can not only create simple symbols but also special types of symbols. For example, the \measuredangle command can be used to indicate the size of an angle.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\begin{document}
  \[ \angle{PQR} \]
\end{document}

Output :

Expressing the size of an Angle

If you want to express your idea in more detail, the \measuredangle command can be your best friend. It creates a special symbol to indicate the size of an angle.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\begin{document}
  \[ \measuredangle{PQR}=30^{\circ} \]
\end{document}

Output :

Additionally, if you use the mathabx package, you’ll notice that the angle size can be expressed in a slightly different way. This package gives your symbols an extra dimension.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{mathabx}
\begin{document}
  \[ \measuredangle{PQR}=45^{\circ} \]
\end{document}

Output :

You’ll need to decide which package to use based on your work. But no matter which one you choose, the result will be beautiful and complete.

Spherical angle symbols

Now, let’s talk about something different. The spherical angle symbol is a special type of symbol used mainly in three-dimensional geometry.

Even though this symbol isn’t directly available in LaTeX, you can create it with the help of packages like amssymb, wasysym, and others.

amssymb	\sphericalangle →
wasysym	\varangle →
mathabx	\sphericalangle →
marvosym	\anglesign →

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