This can be used to stack something above something else; used in math mode.
  \stackrel{top}{bot}
The first argument, top, is typset immediately above the
second argument, bot; the former is set in the same
math style as a superscript.
For example
  H$_2$CO$_3$ $\stackrel{\rm heat}
     {\longrightarrow}$ H$_2$O + CO$_2$
will produce something like
          heat
  H CO   ------>  H O  +  CO 
   2  3            2        2
Note that the the \rm declaration is used
so that "heat" is set in Roman face and not math italics.
The argument is considered to be a single variable sized math symbol for purposes of placing limits below (subscripts) and above (superscripts) in display math style. For example,
  \mathop{\sum \sum}_{i,j=1}^{N} a_i a_j
would produce something like
            N
         ---  ---
         \    \    
         /    /    a  a
         ---  ---   i  j
           i,j
It is possible to create two rows of "subscripts" by using 
a similar construction: The first row is created as subscripts of the symbol
in the usual way and a lower row is created by placing this whole construct
as the argument of a \mathop command with its own subscript.  For 
example
  \mathop{\sum_{i,j=1}^{N}}_{i>j}
would produce something like
          N
         ---  
         \        
         /    
         ---  
         i,j=1
         i>j