Skip to contents

Comparison operators for linear time (mt_linear)

Source: R/compare.R
mt_linear-compare.Rd

Discrete linear time values represent a closed interval spanning their chronon (e.g. year(2020) spans every instant from the start of 2020 to the end of 2020), while continuous linear time values represent a single instant. Comparing two mt_linear vectors therefore compares the start/end instants of the (possibly zero-width) interval each value represents:

  • a == b iff start(a) == start(b) and end(a) == end(b)

  • a < b iff end(a) < start(b)

  • a > b iff start(a) > end(b)

  • a <= b iff end(a) <= end(b) (right-bound comparison)

  • a >= b iff start(a) >= start(b) (left-bound comparison)

This is not a total order: <=/>= are endpoint comparisons, not shorthand for (< or ==)/(> or ==), so it is possible for none of ==, <, > to hold between two values.

If both operands are continuous (fractional chronons), or share an identical chronon, the comparison simplifies to a direct numeric comparison, since there is no interval to consider.

Usage

# S4 method for class 'mt_linear'
e1 == e2
# S4 method for class 'mt_linear'
e1 != e2
# S4 method for class 'mt_linear'
e1 < e2
# S4 method for class 'mt_linear'
e1 <= e2
# S4 method for class 'mt_linear'
e1 > e2
# S4 method for class 'mt_linear'
e1 >= e2

Arguments

e1, e2

mt_linear vectors (or values castable to one, such as plain numeric vectors sharing the other operand's chronon).

Value

A logical vector.