[Tex/LaTex] way to manually set the height of a bracket

symbols

I am aware one can change the size of a single bracket to be slightly bigger than the object attached to it using \left\{<object>\right.

What I would really like to do though, is to manually set the exact height of a curly open bracket. (For example to \baselineskip).

Does anyone know how exactly the height of a bracket as compared to the contained object is determined? (One could then use a strut of appropriate height to force the behaviour of the bracket).

Or perhaps there is a completely different method for achieving the effect I am looking for, one that does not make use of the \right and \left commands at all?

Best Answer

You can use \bigl( to get a different size, or (in size order \Bigl(, \biggl(, \Biggl( the same commands with r at the end produce right delimiters or just \big( produces brackets of the same size as \bigl and \bigr, but with with mathord spacing.

\big is defined in plain TeX as

\def\big#1{{\hbox{$\left#1\vbox to8.5\p@{}\right.\n@space$}}}

so 8.5pt high. similar commands could be made for any size.

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