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From: mrm@cfa.HARVARD.EDU (Michael Merrifield)
Newsgroups: comp.text.tex
Subject: Re: How do I make a greater than approx (> over ~)?
Message-ID: <472@cfa.HARVARD.EDU>
Date: 15 Nov 90 03:52:12 GMT
References: <MAN.90Nov12143849@whizzle.stanford.edu>
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From article <MAN.90Nov12143849@whizzle.stanford.edu>, by man@whizzle.stanford.edu (Michael Nowak):
> I want it so that I can use it like I would a \le sign, roughly the same
> size, well centered vertically and horizontally, etc., etc.
> 

If you don't have the AmS-TeX fonts, here's a set of definitions (courtesy of
Bill Press) that does the trick:

\newbox\grsign \setbox\grsign=\hbox{$>$} \newdimen\grdimen \grdimen=\ht\grsign
\newbox\simlessbox \newbox\simgreatbox
\setbox\simgreatbox=\hbox{\raise.5ex\hbox{$>$}\llap
     {\lower.5ex\hbox{$\sim$}}}\ht1=\grdimen\dp1=0pt
\setbox\simlessbox=\hbox{\raise.5ex\hbox{$<$}\llap
     {\lower.5ex\hbox{$\sim$}}}\ht2=\grdimen\dp2=0pt
\def\simgreat{\mathrel{\copy\simgreatbox}}
\def\simless{\mathrel{\copy\simlessbox}}

then just use \simgreat and \simless just like any other math relations