\rightarrow^* flipped to the left?

Question

Is it possible to create something like $\rightarrow^*$ only flipped to the left?

Someone suggested using $\mathbin{{}^*\leftarrow}$ but this still doesn't give me the same spacing.

Hendrik Vogt · Accepted Answer · 2011-04-04T11:12:05.180

12

Use \mathrel instead of \mathbin (the arrows are regarded as relational symbols), and enclose \leftarrow in braces as to "kill" the spacing around it: $\mathrel{{}^*{\leftarrow}}$ .

As egreg remarks, one can also use $\mathrel{^*}\leftarrow$ to get exactly the same spacing: The {} before ^ is actually not needed, and TeX doesn't add any space between the relational symbols \mathrel{^*} and \leftarrow. (The advantage of the first solution (with or without {}) is somehow: One can be sure that it works without the knowledge about spacing between relational symbols.)

edited Apr 04 '11 at 11:12

answered Apr 03 '11 at 19:29

Hendrik Vogt

37,935

2

TeX doesn't add space between relation symbols, so \mathrel{^*}\leftarrow produces the same result. – egreg Apr 03 '11 at 21:43
Thanks a lot for reminding me, @egreg! – Hendrik Vogt Apr 04 '11 at 11:18

\rightarrow^* flipped to the left?

1 Answers1