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My question is a short one: I would like \lim to always be displayed inline using the \displaystyle mode.

doncherry
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projetmbc
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    \let\svlim\lim\def\lim{\displaystyle\svlim} – Steven B. Segletes Feb 18 '14 at 13:50
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    why? This messes up line spacing – daleif Feb 18 '14 at 13:50
  • I know but for undergraduate student, it is better to see limits in \displaystyle format. – projetmbc Feb 18 '14 at 13:52
  • @StevenB.Segletes Can you post this as an answer with a few explanations so as to accept it ? – projetmbc Feb 18 '14 at 13:53
  • @StevenB.Segletes Not unless you want the entire expression to be in displaystyle. – David Carlisle Feb 18 '14 at 14:05
  • @projetmbc, you'd be better to do as egreg says:-) – David Carlisle Feb 18 '14 at 14:06
  • Unless you wanted the complete inline expression in \displaystyle, I too would select egreg's answer – Steven B. Segletes Feb 18 '14 at 14:33
  • @daleif @projetmbc: line spacing can be taken care of in most cases writing usepackage{setspace} \setstretch{1.06} in the preamble. The value 1.06 foor the stretch is of course a matter of taste. – Bernard Feb 18 '14 at 15:06
  • @Bernard, did you actually test that? you have to go much much higher – daleif Feb 18 '14 at 15:42
  • @daleif: Well – yes. Of course it depends on what you have to write under "lim". But as long as it's something as x \to a, it's OK. I use it rather commonly, e.g. for medium sized fraction from nccmath. Generally speaking, I find the default line spacing is too tight any way, and I use a stretcj between 1.05 and 1.1, depending on the font.@daleif – Bernard Feb 18 '14 at 16:47
  • I still think it is a really bad choice, and not something that should be generally given as good advise. – daleif Feb 18 '14 at 16:49

1 Answers1

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You don't want \displaystyle, but \limits after \lim.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amsmath}

\usepackage{etoolbox}
\apptocmd{\lim}{\limits}{}{}

\begin{document}
Here's a limit: $\lim_{x\to0}\sin x=0$.
\end{document}

enter image description here

On the other hand, students can learn how to properly read symbols; I feel it wrong to attach too much to symbols, which are mainly conventions and not laws cast in stone.

egreg
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  • We sometimes see teachers using $\sum\limits...$ because apparently their students does not recognize a sum unless the limits are above and below. In a similar category they do not use \exp as their students does not know it is the same at e^{...}, so we'll see stuff like e^{\int ....} ... – daleif Feb 18 '14 at 14:35
  • @egreg Thanks a lot for this solution that uses less vertical space. :-) You're totally right for the conventions but my bachelor student are not corrected by me so I have to follow some recommandations. – projetmbc Feb 18 '14 at 20:11