Text Formatting ⇒ AMS Book Conflict with \jot

[PSNYLaTexUser]

I need some help with an odd problem. I want to control the spacing between lines in multi-line equations and extensive research finally uncovered the command \setlength{\jot}{12pt}. This works perfectly, as shown below in the following test:

Code: Select all

\documentclass{book}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\setlength{\jot}{20pt}
\begin{document}
\begin{align*}
x &= 1 \\
y &= 2
\end{align*}
\end{document}

Using that, I get exactly the results I want. I changed the spacing to 20pt and it gives more space. I changed it to 6pt and it gives less.

However, even though this is an AMSMATH package command that works correctly when NOT using AMSART or AMSBOOK document classes, it gets completely ignored when using those. No error occurs, the command is just ignored.

The nearly identical document below contains only an edit to the document class, and yet the \setlength{\jot}{} command does nothing.

Code: Select all

\documentclass{book}
\usepackage{amsmath}
\setlength{\jot}{50pt}
\begin{document}
\begin{align*}
x &= 1 \\
y &= 2
\end{align*}
\end{document}

Any ideas? I know an obvious option is to not use the AMSBOOK class, but for some reason other things go wrong with my TOC when I do not use AMSBOOK, so I don't want to go down that path.

Thanks in advance!

[frabjous]

The \begin{document} command in the amsbook class is what sets the jot, so it's undoing what you did when \begin{document} is used. You can get around this just by setting the length after \begin{document}.

Code: Select all

\documentclass{amsbook}
\begin{document}
\setlength{\jot}{50pt}
\begin{align*}
x &= 1 \\
y &= 2
\end{align*}
\end{document}

(I assume that example is close to what you intended with your second example: you accidentally posted the same one twice.)

[PSNYLaTexUser]

THANKS!!

Sorry for copying the same text twice. Glad to see it was clear what I intended.

Where can I see a list of lengths that are set by the \begin{document} command? Is it safe to always put my \setlength commands after \begin{document} or is that not necessary. I have all of them in the preamble, but now I think I recall struggling with others that didn't seem to work too.

Again, thanks for the quick and very helpful reply.

[localghost]

If the problem is solved with that, please be so kind and mark the topic (not the last post) accordingly as clearly written in the Board Rules (to be read before posting). Otherwise please tell us what is missing. Please keep that in mind for the future so that further reminders will not be necessary.


Thorsten