[OS X TeX] Cancelling columns?

[Bernhard Barkow]

Hi,

On 2008-03-21, at 02:50, David Derbes wrote:
> I apologize for what is probably a simple thing, but it's defeated  
> me for a while now.
>
> I am writing a small note about calculation of determinants using  
> minors. I would like to draw explicitly a line through the numbers  
> of a row (which I think I can do with the ``soul'' package.) But  
> how to do it with a column? If worse comes to worse, I can use  
> LaTeXiT to export the matrix to Illustrator, draw the lines in  
> Illustrator, and then use it as a graphic. But if LaTeX will do the  
> job, I'd prefer that.

I don't know about packages doing this job, but maybe a brute-force  
attack with a picture environment would help, something along

\setlength{\unitlength}{1mm <or whatever units you prefer in your  
table>}
\begin{picture}(<columnWidth>,<columnHeight>)(<offset-x>,<offset-y  
(something appropriate to reach the bottom left corner of the column  
in question)>)
	\line(<columnWidth>,<columnHeight>){<length; sqrt 
(columnWidth*columnWidth+columnHeight*columnHeight), probably best  
calculated by hand, or using the calc package?>}
\end{picture}

<…> means "insert the appropriate values" :-)
This is just an option, probably there are more elegant solutions…

Bernhard