# How to put the asterisk on the end of max function rather than right above it

I am writing my report using TeXnicCenter, and it has been going very well.

However, I want to write max* in the equation mode, but all i code get is the asterisk right about the a in max

if I write $\max*$ in normal inline equation I get what I want which is max*. but when I write it using the equation command which is

$$\label{eq:a} \max^{*}(a,b)$$


I get max(a,b) and the astrik is right above 'a', like I am using \limits. using \mbox will put the asterisk way after the max.

this is an image showing my dilemma, it shows what I want, then what I get for using \mbox{*} then what I get for using \max^*

## 1 Answer

What you want is a new math operator; however there's a slight TeXnical complication with a naïf \DeclareMathOperator and ^{\ast} should be used instead of ^{*}.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}

\DeclareMathOperator*{\smax}{max^{\ast}}

\begin{document}

$\smax_{(s'\to s)\Rightarrow u_{i}=1}\bigl(\tilde{\delta}_{i}(s',s)\bigr)$

\end{document}


• the amsmath \newmcodes@ should have gotten a lifting ... (and happy users of mathastext get it for free -- although I went a bit too radical, and at some point should make it better). – user4686 Dec 15 '15 at 17:54
• @jfbu What they want to avoid is * used as a binary operation symbol, but the result is that it becomes a raised asterisk as in text. I tried \DeclareMathOperator{\smax}{max*}, but the asterisk comes out different from the math mode one (at least in the CM fonts). – egreg Dec 15 '15 at 17:58
• for the CM fonts, it seems the difference is only one of size : \DeclareMathOperator{\smax}{max{\scriptstyle*}} produces visually a glyph very similar to the math * (but not raised enough...) . Using \ast is clearly the good workaround. – user4686 Dec 15 '15 at 18:23
• amsmath could have done \count255\mathcode\* \divide\count255 "1000 \multiply\count255 -"1000 \advance\count255 \mathcode\*\mathcode\* \count255  – user4686 Dec 15 '15 at 18:23
• but that would have been a problem with a math active *` ... – user4686 Dec 15 '15 at 18:24