A new math tool called “Snip” is creating a buzz on Twitter. Thousands of netizens are sharing the tool, which is being heralded as a “life changer” for scientific writing. Researchers and students can spend hours typing mathematical equations in the technical and scientific documentation typesetting system LaTeX — a task that Snip can now complete in seconds.

Real and parody online Snip testimonials

Snip is a free tool developed by San Francisco startup Mathpix. Available for Mac, Windows and Ubuntu system, Snip allows users to convert simple screenshots of mathematical formula into LaTeX codes. Users can choose their preferred LaTeX code format and perform additional editing.

Step 1. Enter keyboard shortcut.

Step 2. Capture the desired inputs within the screenshot box.

Step 3. Choose a desired format of LaTeX and apply edit.

Step 4. Paste the LaTeX into any compatible editor.

In addition, Snip can recognize and incorporate handwriting in its translation process.

Founded in 2017, Mathpix aims to accelerate the pace of technological progress. The company’s current efforts include leveraging powerful math OCR technology in digital mathematics to save time on tasks such as typing calculations on mobile phones or computers. Mathpix has also developed an API (MathpixOCR) that enables developers to integrate OCR capabilities into their own applications to extract text and math from images.

The Snip tool is at: https://mathpix.com/