# Lower Caret Symbol

What is the code for creating the caret-like symbol as in the following image?

• Are you looking for \wedge? – egreg Sep 4 '14 at 16:03
• Ah, that could work, but I'd prefer a smaller wedge as in the image, if possible? – Kermit the Hermit Sep 4 '14 at 16:05
• Welcome to TeX.SX! You can have a look at our starter guide to familiarize yourself further with our format. – user31729 Sep 4 '14 at 16:11

A quick hack:

\documentclass{article}

\newcommand{\smallwedge}{%
\mathbin{\mathchoice
{\scriptstyle\wedge}
{\scriptstyle\wedge}
{\scriptscriptstyle\wedge}
{\scriptscriptstyle\wedge}%
}%
}

\newcommand{\smallerwedge}{\mathbin{\scriptscriptstyle\wedge}}

\begin{document}
$0\wedge 0_{0\wedge 0}$

$0\smallwedge 0_{0\smallwedge 0}$

$0\smallerwedge 0$
\end{document}


You can use \smallwedge also in first level subscripts/superscripts (it won't be smaller in second level ones).

For \smallerwedge only the main size can do. If you don't need it in sub/superscripts it might be the simplest solution.

A different approach might be scaling the wedge symbol (but using the boldface version, so it wouldn't be too thin):

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath,graphicx}

\newcommand{\smallwedge}{%
\mathbin{\text{\scalebox{.5}{\boldmath$\wedge$}}}%
}

\begin{document}
$0\smallwedge 0_{0\smallwedge 0}$
\end{document}


This is more expensive in terms of efficiency, but has the advantage of working at any level.

• @KermittheHermit I added another solution – egreg Sep 4 '14 at 16:23

Because the word LaTeX wasn't mentioned in the question, I would show the plainTeX solution (which works in LaTeX too).

\newfam\swedgefam   \newcount\tmpnum
\font\tmpT=cmbsy10 scaled500 \font\tmpS=cmbsy7 scaled500 \font\tmpSS=cmbsy5 scaled500
\textfont\swedgefam=\tmpT \scriptfont\swedgefam=\tmpS \scriptscriptfont\swedgefam=\tmpSS
\tmpnum=\swedgefam \multiply\tmpnum by256 \advance\tmpnum by"205E % binop + code
\mathchardef\smallwedge=\tmpnum

$0\smallwedge0_{0\smallwedge0_{0\smallwedge0}}$


• It is efficient: there is no typesetting of each \smallwedge in four branches, no \scalebox in each branch.