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At times, students in some introductory classes mistake the comma after an equation for a prime. This occurs for example if the comma shows up after a fraction, in which case the student thinks it is a prime on the denominator of that fraction.

The display and MWE in this example shows comma vs prime and it appears that using the Palatino font makes the issue worse, as in comparison with the Euler font. There, the remedy that is sought is to raise the location of comma after a fraction.

My question is in what font will comma look most distinct from a prime? For example a comma looking like a semi circle might be better for such situations.

A modified version of above MWE is reproduced below.

\documentclass{minimal}
\usepackage{amsmath}

% To use Palatino \usepackage{mathpazo}
% To use Euler %\usepackage[small, euler-digits]{eulervm}

\begin{document} Question: which font accentuates the difference between prime and comma most?

Example 1. Comma after fraction vs prime on denominator

\begin{equation} a = \frac{1}{A+B}, \qquad b = \frac{1}{A+B'} \end{equation}

Example 2 : prime on left side of case with comma after the case

\begin{equation} \left{\begin{matrix} x'&= 3x-2y \ y'&= 2x-2y \end{matrix}\right. , \end{equation}

\end{document}

The resulting PDF

Maesumi
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    Please provide an MWE (from \documentclass... to \end{document} that we can compile that shows the problem. Shouldnt a mathematical prime symbol be coded as a\prime` which looks nothing like a comma.? – Peter Wilson Sep 28 '22 at 17:42
  • @PeterWilson Please check the linked reference. – Maesumi Sep 28 '22 at 22:22
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    You ask about the graphic of a comma being distinguishable from the graphic of a prime. Your linked reference does not deal with this; just the location of the graphic, not the look of the graphic. – Peter Wilson Sep 30 '22 at 18:03
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    It's often recommended to insert a thin space \, between the fraction and the comma. (Some authors always place a thin space before a final comma in a line of a math display.) – barbara beeton Oct 01 '22 at 23:03
  • @PeterWilson An MWE is included. – Maesumi Oct 02 '22 at 13:36
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    I'd simply omit the comma; the space already separates the two fractions and a comma adds nothing to clarity. And I'd never use punctuation after cases or a similar object. – egreg Oct 02 '22 at 15:58
  • @egreg Dropping the comma seems to be the simplest solution. However the issue comes up in standard math homework software such as WebAssign too. – Maesumi Oct 02 '22 at 17:54

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