Template for Student Homework Paper in a proof based mathematics course using a journal structure

student_paper.tex

%%%   This is a cut-and-paste template for a basic short paper in an IBL proof-heavy course.
%%%   The header parts of this document should be left alone. It will ensure that everything
%%%   will compile and all of the formatting will turn out OK.

%%%   Headers -- these give the document its general structure, and tell LaTeX which basic
%%%   functionality to load
\documentclass{amsart}
\usepackage[margin=1in]{geometry}
\usepackage{graphicx}
\usepackage{url}

\theoremstyle{definition}
\newtheorem*{theorem}{Theorem}
\newtheorem*{definition}{Definition}
\newtheorem*{lemma}{Lemma}
\newtheorem*{proposition}{Proposition}
\newtheorem*{question}{Question}
\newtheorem*{conjecture}{Conjecture}
\newtheorem*{corollary}{Corollary}

%%%   Here is where your actual document begins. You will have to modify some things below this line.

\begin{document}

\title{Sample Title}  %% put your title in the braces
\author{Your Name}    %% put your name in the braces

\maketitle

\section{Basic Theorem, Proof and Figure}

This is an introductory paragraph. If it seems worthwhile, this is where 
you introduce the problem and its context to your readers. It might be pretty 
short. You might not even want one! 

\begin{theorem} Your theorem statement goes here.
\end{theorem}

\begin{proof} You put your proof in this spot. It might be long. You will likely 
need several paragraphs. In \LaTeX\ paragraphs have to be separated by a blank line.

So this starts a new paragraph.
But this doesn't.
\end{proof}

If you want to include a figure, it is easiest to make a .png or .jpg file and use 
the following structured commands. I will comment them out with percent signs so 
that \LaTeX\ won't try to compile this without an actual picture. (That would throw 
an error message.)

% \begin{figure}
%   \begin{center}
%   \includegraphics{filename.png}
%   \end{center}
%   \caption{This is the caption for your figure}
% \end{figure}

To make that work, you must put the image file in the same directory as the 
image. Or, if you are using \url{writelatex.com}, you have to upload it into 
your project.

\section{How to put math symbols in a document}

{\LaTeX} really shines when you use it to typeset mathematical formulae. A formula 
that is part of a regular paragraph (an "in-line" formula) should be set up with 
dollar signs like this: $\cos^2(x) + \sin^2(x) = 1$. If you want a displayed formula 
set out and centered, then you use a different command. It works like this:
\[
\sum_{i=1}^{\infty} 2^{-i} = 1
\]

\section{Finding more help}
The {\LaTeX} wikibook at \url{http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX} is very useful. If 
I forget the command for a mathematical symbol, 
I like to use \url{http://detexify.kirelabs.org/classify.html}

\section{Options for using \LaTeX}
\begin{itemize}
\item You can download and install {\LaTeX} on your machine. It is free, but it is huge. 
\item You can use an online service for {\LaTeX}:
    \begin{itemize}
         \item \url{http://writelatex.com/}
         \item \url{http://spandex.io/}
         \item \url{http://www.sharelatex.com}
    \end{itemize}
\end{itemize}

%%%   This is the closing command. Leave it alone.

\end{document}