# How can I decrease the space between the symbol "<" and text?

I use "0<F<1" in Latex, however in the pdf it is "0 < F < 1 ", I want to reduce the space between text and <, just like "0<F<1", would someone tell me how to do it?

• Why do you want to do this? This introduces inconsistency in your document. Aug 13 '12 at 17:40

That's because it's the intended spacing for binary relations. However, by simple braces you can change that, so that they would be treated like ordinary math characters:

0{<}F{<}1


An alternative in math mode is to use negative spaces defined by \!. Each one will backshift characters by 1/6 quad.

• I don't think this is a good idea. If you write $0<F<1$ and the line is full, latex will decrease the space between the "<", "F", "0" and "1" automatically and then the additional \! could mess up the equation.
– Ivo
Aug 13 '12 at 20:56
• Oh, it’s a kludge to begin with. The braces are a much better idea, but negative spacing is always good to know about in a pinch. Aug 13 '12 at 20:57
• +1.This helped me to render the products $SVD$ and $TVB$ nicely when using LNCS style file. Apr 28 '19 at 16:21
• @CarlChristian +1, e.g. $\overline{Y\!Z}$. Aug 3 '21 at 13:30