[texhax] Constructing a very thin space

[Axel E. Retif]

On 07/25/2013 05:19 PM, Philip Taylor wrote:


> Axel E. Retif wrote:
>
>> You can make your own thin spaces putting something like this in your
>> preamble:
>>
>> \def\mythinspace{\kern 0.1em }
>> \def\myverythinspace{\kern 0.05em }
>>
>> You can make negative thin spaces as well. The space between ...em and
>> the closing bracket is *very* important.
>
> Forgive my naïvety, but /why/ is the space important ?


Oh! Apparently it isn't ---I just tried \def\myemspace{\kern 1em} 
(without the space, that is) and it works just as with a space between 
1em and }.

I think I took the habit of putting a space from Knuth's definition of 
\thinspace:

     \def\thinspace{\kern .16667em }

(The TeXbook, p. 352).


Best

Axel