[texhax] Bold math characters

[Barbara Beeton]

michael barr asks,

    >From reading the Latex Companion (Second printing, 1994), page 179, one
    would expect that
    {\mathversion{bold} $a$}
    and
    $\mathbf a$
    would produce the same output.  But they don't.  The first gives a bold
    version of the \mit a and the second a bold upright a.  Suppose you have
    a more complicated formula that you want the first kind of a, but
    nothing else bold.  Is there an easy way to do it?

you can bury it in a box:

\documentclass{article}

\begin{document}

a math expression with two kinds of bold:
\[ \mathbf{a} + \hbox{\mathversion{bold}$a$} + a \]

\end{document}

it's easy enough to make a macro out of that too.
							-- bb