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Encyclopedia > Comparison

A comparison is an evaluation of similarities and differences - described by Gregory Bateson in his book Mind and Nature as the two quanta of experience. Evaluation is the systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance. ... Several equivalence relations in mathematics are called similarity. ... Difference is the contrary of equality, in particular of objects. ... Gregory Bateson (9 May 1904–4 July 1980) was a British anthropologist, social scientist, linguist and cyberneticist whose work intersected that of many other fields. ... In physics quanta is the plural of quantum. ... Look up Experience in Wiktionary, the free dictionary This article discusses the general concept of experience. ...

Contents


In computer programming

In computer programming, when one compares the two values x and y, a negative number often indicates x < y, zero x == y and a positive number x > y. Even when two values are not integers, e.g. literal strings, this convention is largely adopted. For example, strcmp returns -1, 0, or 1 according to the lexicographical order, and qsort expects the comparison function to return values according to this convention. This is because it is efficient to do the subtraction x - y resulting in the directional signs above. In sorting algorithms, the efficiency of comparison code is critical since it is one of the major factors of sorting performance. HTML and JavaScript in an IDE that uses color coding to highlight various keywords and help the developer see the function of each piece of code. ... In mathematics, the lexicographical order, or dictionary order, is a natural order structure of the cartesian product of two ordered sets. ... Quicksort in action on a list of random numbers. ... In computer science and mathematics, a sorting algorithm is an algorithm that puts elements of a list in a certain order. ...


Sometimes, particularly in object-oriented programming, the comparison raises questions of datatypes and inheritance, equality and identity. It is often necessary to distinguish between: In computer science, object-oriented programming, OOP for short, is a computer programming paradigm. ... In computer science, a datatype or data type (often simply a type) is a name or label for a set of values and some operations which one can perform on that set of values. ... This article is about inheritance in object-oriented programming. ... In mathematics, two mathematical objects are considered equal if they are precisely the same in every way. ... // Computer programming In object-oriented programming, object identity is a mechanism for distinguishing different objects from each other. ...

  • two objects with different datatypes both related to another datatype, e.g. an orange and a lemon, both being citrus fruit
  • two different objects of the same type, e.g. two hands
  • two objects being equal but distinct, e.g. two $10 banknotes
  • two different references to the same object, e.g. two nicknames for the same person

Sameness and difference can be relative or graduated as well as absolute, particularly in fuzzy logic, artificial intelligence, signal processing, lossy data compression and pattern recognition. Fuzzy logic is derived from fuzzy set theory dealing with reasoning that is approximate rather than precisely deduced from classical predicate logic. ... Hondas intelligent humanoid robot AI redirects here. ... Signal processing is the processing, amplification and interpretation of signals and deals with the analysis and manipulation of signals. ... A lossy data compression method is one where compressing data and then decompressing it retrieves data that may well be different from the original, but is close enough to be useful in some way. ... Pattern recognition is a field within the area of machine learning. ...


See also: regular expression A regular expression (abbreviated as regexp or regex, with plural forms regexps, regexes, or regexen) is a string that describes or matches a set of strings, according to certain syntax rules. ...


In grammar

See also: Comparison of adjectives.

Comparison, in grammar, is a property of adjectives and adverbs in most languages; it describes systems that distinguish the degree to which the modifier modifies its complement. An adjective is a part of speech which modifies a noun, usually describing it or making its meaning more specific. ... Grammar is the study of rules governing the use of language. ... An adjective is a part of speech which modifies a noun, usually describing it or making its meaning more specific. ... An adverb is a part of speech-class. ...


English, due to the complex etymology of its lexicon, has two parallel systems of comparison. One involves the suffixes -er (the "comparative") and -est (the "superlative"). These inflections are of Germanic origin, and are cognate with the Latin suffixes -ior and -issimus. These inflections are typically added to shorter words, words of Anglo-Saxon origin, and borrowed words that have been fully assimilated into the English vocabulary. Usually the words that take these inflections have fewer than three syllables. This system contains a number of irregular forms, some of which, like good, better, best, contain suppletive forms. These irregular forms include: The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Etymology is the study of the origins of words. ... A lexicon is usually a list of words together with additional word-specific information, i. ... Suffix has meanings in linguistics, nomenclature and computer science. ... In grammar the comparative is the form of an adjective or adverb which denotes the degree or grade by which a person, thing, or other entity has a property or quality greater or less in extent than that of another. ... In grammar, the superlative of an adjective or adverb indicates that a member of a set transcends the other members in some way. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that History of the Latin language be merged into this article or section. ... Old English (also called Anglo-Saxon) is an early form of the English language that was spoken in parts of what is now England and southern Scotland between the mid-fifth century and the mid-twelfth century. ... Inflection or inflexion refers to a modification or marking of a word (or more precisely lexeme) so that it reflects grammatical (i. ... In linguistics and etymology, suppletion is the use of one word as the inflected form of another word when the two words are not cognate. ...

 good better best well better best bad worse worst far farther farthest far further furthest little less(er) least (also has regular forms) many more most 

The second system of comparison in English appends the grammatical particles more and most, themselves the irregular comparatives of many, to the adjective or adverb being modified. This series can be compared to a system containing the diminutives less and least. This system is most commonly used with words of French or Latin derivation; adjectives and adverbs formed with suffixes other than -ly (e.g. beautiful); and with longer, technical, or infrequently used words. Knowing which words fall into which system is a highly idiomatic issue in English syntax. Some words require the suffixing system: e.g. taller is required; *more tall is not idiomatic English. Some words (e.g. difficult) require more and most. Some words (e.g. polite) can be used with either system; curiously, while polite can go either way, the derived word impolite requires more and most. The general rule is that words with one syllable require the suffix, words with three or more syllables require more or most and words with two syllables can go either way. In linguistics, the term particle is often employed as a useful catch-all lacking a strict definition. ... Less is a grammatical particle in the English language, functioning as an adverb that modifies comparatives. ... It has been suggested that History of the Latin language be merged into this article or section. ... Syntax, originating from the Greek words συν (syn, meaning co- or together) and τάξις (táxis, meaning sequence, order, arrangement), can in linguistics be described as the study of the rules, or patterned relations that govern the way the words in a sentence come together. ...


A perennial issue in English usage involves the comparison of so-called "absolute" adjectives, adjectives that logically do not seem to admit of comparison. There are many such adjectives - generally adjectives that name qualities that are either present or absent: nothing is *"more Cretaceous" or *"more igneous" than anything else. Other examples include perfect, unique, and parallel, which name qualities that are inherently superlative: if something is perfect, there can be nothing better, so it does not make sense to describe one thing as *"more perfect" than something else; if something is unique, it is one-of-a-kind, so something cannot be *"very unique", or *"more unique" than something else. Nonetheless, such forms often do make sense in a specific context. If one fossil is from the very beginning of the Cretaceous period - the transition into the Cretaceous period - while another is from the middle of that period, then the latter might be described as "more Cretaceous" than the former. If one solution to a problem leaves everyone happy, then it might be regarded as a perfect solution, even if another solution leaves everyone even happier; in this case, the latter might be characterized as "more perfect" than the former. Something might have a greater number of unique characteristics than something else, and so be considered "more unique". In general, terms like perfect and parallel cannot ever apply exactly to things in real life, so they are commonly used to mean nearly perfect, nearly parallel, and so on; and in this (inexact) use, more perfect (i.e., more nearly perfect, closer to perfect) and more parallel (i.e., more nearly parallel, closer to parallel) do seem to make sense. See Sapir-Whorf hypothesis for a discussion on how this sort of imprecise language might lead to similarly imprecise thought. In linguistics, prescription is the laying down or prescribing of normative rules of the language. ... In linguistics, the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis (SWH) states that there is a systematic relationship between the grammatical categories of the language a person speaks and how that person both understands the world and behaves in it. ...


In mathematics

See:

Category theory is a mathematical theory that deals in an abstract way with mathematical structures and relationships between them. ... In set theory and its applications throughout mathematics, a class is a collection of sets (or sometimes other mathematical objects) that can be unambiguously defined by a property that all its members share. ... In geometry, two shapes are called congruent if one can be transformed into the other by a series of translations, rotations and reflections. ... In probability theory and statistics, correlation, also called correlation coefficient, is a numeric measure of the strength of linear relationship between two random variables. ... In mathematics, an equivalence relation on a set X is a binary relation on X that is reflexive, symmetric and transitive, i. ... In mathematics, two mathematical objects are considered equal if they are precisely the same in every way. ... The feasible regions of linear programming are defined by a set of inequalities. ... In logic, statements p and q are logically equivalent if they have the same logical content. ... In mathematics and especially in abstract algebra, a congruence relation or simply congruence is an equivalence relation that is compatible with some algebraic operation(s). ... In mathematics, given a set X and an equivalence relation ~ on X, the equivalence class of an element a in X is the subset of all elements in X which are equivalent to a: [a] = { x ∈ X | x ~ a } The notion of equivalence classes is useful for constructing sets out... Order theory is a branch of mathematics that studies various kinds of binary relations that capture the intuitive notion of a mathematical ordering. ... In mathematics, two quantities are called proportional if they vary in such a way that one of the quantities is a constant multiple of the other, or equivalently if they have a constant ratio. ... In number and more generally in algebra, a ratio is the linear relationship between two quantities of the same unit. ... Several equivalence relations in mathematics are called similarity. ...

Academic fields focusing on comparison

Comparative government or more correctly comparative politics is the field in political science that focuses on comparing the varying forms of government in the world, and the states they govern, though it may also compare governments across different periods of history. ... Comparative literature, colloquially abbreviated comp. ... Historical linguistics (also diachronic linguistics or comparative linguistics) is primarily the study of the ways in which languages change over time, by means of examining languages which are recognizably related through similarities such as vocabulary, word formation, and syntax, as well as the surviving records of ancient languages. ... Comparative religion is a field of religious studies that analyzes interpretive differences of common themes and ideas among the worlds religions. ...

See also


  Results from FactBites:
 
FLAC - comparison (740 words)
FLAC decoding is the fastest among lossless codecs and it has the fastest encoding mode.
Since MD5 sums are not typically used in playback, and since most codecs either do not support MD5 sums or do not compute them by default, to make the comparison as accurate as possible MD5 checking was disabled for FLAC decoding.
However since it is currently not possible to disable MD5 computation for FLAC encoding, the FLAC encoding times here are 4-15% longer than they would be without MD5 checking.
Comparison - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (733 words)
A comparison is an evaluation of similarities and differences - described by Gregory Bateson in his book Mind and Nature as the two quanta of experience.
In sorting algorithms, the efficiency of comparison code is critical since it is one of the major factors of sorting performance.
Comparison, in grammar, is a property of adjectives and adverbs in most languages; it describes systems that distinguish the degree to which the modifier modifies its complement.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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