How to write a greater than symbol(>) in LaTeX?

In this tutorial, we will discuss how to represent the greater than symbol in a document using LaTeX.

The greater than symbol (>) is readily available on your keyboard, so you don’t need any special commands to use it in LaTeX.

Basic usage of the greater than symbol

You can represent the symbol in a LaTeX document simply by typing it on the keyboard. Here is an example:

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
   \[ p > q \]
   \[ 8 > 5 \] 
\end{document}

Output :

In this code, this symbol is used between variables and numbers to show their comparative relationships. When you compile this code in LaTeX, it will produce the correct mathematical expressions.

Using greater than symbol with equal or not equal

The greater than symbol is used alongside equal and not equal symbols to express more complex relationships. Below are some examples demonstrating this usage in LaTeX:

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}
   \[ p \ge q \]
   \[ a \geq b \]
\end{document}

Output :

Here, the symbols \ge and \geq represent greater than or equal to. These are useful in many mathematical contexts where you need to indicate that one quantity is either greater than or equal to another.

To use more complex symbols, you need to install the amssymb package, which provides additional mathematical symbols. Below are examples of such symbols:

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\begin{document}
  \[ p \geqslant q \]
  \[ p \gneq \]
  \[ a \geqq b \]
  \[ a \gneqq b \]
\end{document}

Output :

Much greater than symbol

In mathematical notation, the much greater than symbol is denoted by two or sometimes three greater than symbols. This can be useful in expressing much larger inequalities. Below are examples of how to use these symbols in LaTeX.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\begin{document}
   \[ p \gg q \]
   \[ p \ggg q \]
   \[ a \gggtr b \]
\end{document}

Output :

You notice the latex program above, \ggg and \gggtr commands are used to represent this symbol, which consists of three greater-than symbols.

Using the symbol with other symbols

Also, different types of symbols are used with greater than symbols. Such as less than, approximately, similar, etc.

If you define all the symbols differently, the tutorial will be much bigger. So, we will take the help of the matrix.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\begin{document}
\[
  \begin{matrix}
    \eqslantgtr & \gtrsim & \gtrapprox  \\ 
    \gtreqqless & \gtreqless & \gtrless  
  \end{matrix} 
\]
\end{document}

Output :

In this matrix, various greater-than symbols combined with other relational symbols are displayed. This can help in understanding how to use these symbols in different mathematical expressions.

You can also add the “not” symbol with most of the symbols used above.

\documentclass{article}
\usepackage{amssymb}
\begin{document}
\[
\begin{matrix}
   \ngtr & \ngeq & \ngeqslant  \\[6pt]
   \ngeqq  & \gnsim  & \gnapprox  
\end{matrix} 
\]
\end{document}

Output :

And the use of these symbols above is much less but it is good for you to know.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we covered how to use the greater than symbol in LaTeX, both alone and in combination with other symbols. We also looked at more complex symbols that require the amssymb package.

Understanding how to use these symbols effectively can help you create clear and accurate mathematical documents.