[Tex/LaTex] Nice looking empty set

math-modesymbolstypography

I feel like the standard $\emptyset$ is ugly. By hand, my empty set symbol is a lot rounder, then this "slashed-zero"-type symbol.

Two questions:

  • Do people really use it (I mean people who have any sort of sense of aesthetics)?
  • What alternatives do you suggest?

I seem to recall something closer to what I'm looking for – a slash round-o – but the diameter of the circle seemed too small, I think. (And am I asking this in the right place?)

Best Answer

Try \varnothing from the amssymb package. It is perfectly round, and the comprehensive LaTeX symbol list states that it is preferred by many to \emptyset.

\documentclass{article}

\usepackage{amssymb}

\let\oldemptyset\emptyset
\let\emptyset\varnothing

\begin{document}
$\oldemptyset$ $\emptyset$
\end{document}

enter image description here

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