I have a user interface problem that I hope isn't only solved by adding yet another option for authors to understand.
Student types a mathematical expression. We allow implicit multiplication, so `xy` is interpreted as `x*y`.
What to do about `pi`? Is it `p*i` or `π`?
I guess most of the time, you'd expect it to be interpreted as π. But you might be doing something with complex numbers, and `p*i` is really what you meant.
I suppose rendering π would at least give you a hint to add the * symbol
@christianp With disturbing frequency, I have to disambiguate my LaTeX through the addition of spacing characters. Additional parenthetical or operation symbols would be non-standard in these cases, yet the standard notation is definitively ambiguous. But at least it renders \(\pi\) ... When forced to communicate in a TeX-lacking environment, I am moving toward just typing in the TeX anyway and trusting the receiving party to find some way of reading it.
@kimreece yes, adding space to TeX markup is almost always a good idea.