\(\LaTeX\) (usually typeset LaTeX and pronounced lay-tek or lah-tek) is free and open-source document markup language built on another typesetting system called \(\TeX\). LaTeX was created with the intention of simplifying the creation of attractively-formatted books and other documents, especially books that contain a lot of mathematics.
Making a document using LaTeX follows these general steps:
Getting the most out of LaTeX will also require the installation of LaTeX packages. These are small, open-source additions to a TeX distribution that add functionality or features.
Below are a few links discussing the benefits of learning to create documents in LaTeX and a comparison of LaTeX to apps like Microsoft Word.