: Indentation, paragraph spacing, when? What are the proper rules for indentation in text? When should there be larger spaces separating paragraphs? In this particular example, I am writing a math

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I would indent the first line of each paragraph except for the first in a chapter. my reasoning for doing so is that with math texts you may have multi-line formulas in the middle of sentences (which you should try to minimize) and paragraphs this would allow you to break the paragraph for the formula without indicating the start of a new paragraph. I also like a half line break between paragraphs in documents discussing complex subjects because every bit of clarity helps with comprehension. For purposes of this discussion a chapter is a group of paragraphs separated from the previous and next such group by at a minimum a heading and identified by a number.

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Indentation will always depend on the style guide you're using, so you should always check that first. The following assumes Chicago rules.

With regards, to paragraph indentation, see: Should I indent the first line of the first paragraph in a chapter? In addition to the indentation rules, you should also have no extra spaces separating your paragraphs.

Other usages of indentation occur when doing block indentation, in which case, see this answer here: How to cite an entire paragraph?

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In most novels I see, the text is indented on each paragraph, with no blank lines in between.

Sometimes, when the story is moved to another location/time, some separator appears between the two sections such as a line.

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