LaTeX

LaTeX is compute-engine's default text input: ce.parse("\\frac{1}{2}"). <notatio-out> takes it via format="latex" (its default); the plotting elements take notatio instead, and read LaTeX only inside a $…$ island.

The same string typesets and parses to MathJSON. (An unevaluated LaTeX input renders but doesn't populate the AST forms yet — add evaluate to box it, or see the parse results below.)

What it parses to

A few inputs and the MathJSON they produce:

LaTeX	MathJSON
\frac{1}{2}	["Rational", 1, 2]
x^2 + 1	["Add", ["Power", "x", 2], 1]
\sin x	["Sin", "x"]
2x	["Multiply", 2, "x"]
\sqrt{-1}	["Sqrt", -1]

Footguns

• Implicit multiplication is inferred. 2x parses as ["Multiply", 2, "x"], and f(x) may parse as multiplication unless f is a known function — prefer \sin(x), \ln(x) with known heads.
• \log vs \ln. compute-engine's \log is base-10 (Log), \ln is natural (Ln) — the opposite of Wolfram's convention. See the Ln and Log pages.
• Whitespace and grouping. x^2+1 and x^{2}+1 parse the same, but x^2+1 vs x^{2+1} do not — brace your exponents.
• Display vs parse. What you type is parsed; what you see may be canonicalised when boxed (e.g. argument ordering). Use FullForm to check what compute-engine actually built.