LaTeX is in math mode when processing mathematical formulas. In that mode, LaTeX ignores all whitespace in your input text, and inserts its own whitespace where it sees fit.
In a wiki, math mode is entered by way of the <math> ... </math> tags.
In a LaTeX text file, math mode is entered if any of the math environments, such as math, displaymath, and equation are entered by the \begin command.
Example[]
\text{When }
a\ne0
\text{, there are two solutions to }ax^2+bx+c=0
\text{ and they are }
{x = -b\pm\sqrt{b^2-4ac}\over 2a}
results in
.
