Vector arrow running into brackets

Question

This looks really horrible when I typeset it in Plain TeX:

$$[\vec r]$$
\bye

The vector arrow bleeds into the bracket on the right, it's not pretty at all. Is there a standard fix for this sort of thing?

Things like $(\vec r)$ are a bit better because of the curve on the parens, but not by much.

Answer 1

This is one of the cases where some manual intervention is necessary:

$$[\vec r\,]$$
\bye

Quoting from the TeXbook (page 169):

Besides these cases, you will occasionally encounter formulas in which the symbols are bunched up too tightly, or where too much white space appears, because of certain unlucky combinations of shapes. It's usually impossible to anticipate optical glitches like this until you see the first proofs of what you have typed; then you get to use your judgment about how to add finishing touches that provide extra beauty, clarity, and finesse. A tastefully applied \, or \! will open things up or close things together so that the reader won't be distracted from the mathematical significance of the formula.