MAKE-TAU-INTERVAL.html -- ACL2 Version 6.3

### MAKE-TAU-INTERVAL

make a tau interval

    Major Section:  TAU-SYSTEM

    General Form:
    (make-tau-interval doc lo-rel lo hi-rel hi)

An interval is a structure of the form: `(`dom `(`lo-rel `.` lo`)` `.` `(`hi-rel `.` hi`))`. Every tau contains an interval used to represent the domain, the upper, and the lower bounds of the objects recognized by the tau.

`make-tau-interval` constructs well-formed intervals only if its five arguments satisfy certain restrictions given below. When these restrictions are violated `make-tau-interval` can construct objects that are not intervals! `make-tau-interval` does not attempt to coerce or adjust its arguments to make well-formed intervals.

For examples of intervals (and non-intervals!) constructed by `make-tau-interval` see `tau-intervalp`. For examples of what objects are contained in certain intervals, see `in-tau-intervalp`.

The components of an interval are as follows:

dom (``domain'') -- must be one of four symbols: `INTEGERP`, `RATIONALP`, `ACL2-NUMBERP`, or `NIL` denoting no restriction on the domain.

The two ``relations,'' lo-rel and hi-rel are Booleans, where `t` denotes less-than inequality (`<`) and `nil` represents less-than-or-equal inequality (`<=`). Think of `t` meaning ``strong'' and `nil` meaning ``weak'' inequality.

Lo and hi must be either `nil` or explicit rational numbers. If lo is `nil` it denotes negative infinity; if hi is `nil` it denotes positive infinity. Lo must be no greater than hi. Note: Even though `ACL2-NUMBERP` intervals may contain complex rationals, the lo and hi bounds must be rational. This is an arbitrary decision made by the implementors to simplify coding.

Finally, if the dom is `INTEGERP`, then both relations should be weak and lo and hi must be integers when they are non-`nil`.

For x to be ``in'' an interval it must be of the type described by the domain predicate dom, lo must be smaller than x in the strong or weak sense denoted by lo-rel, and x must be smaller than hi in the strong or weak sense denoted by hi-rel.

The components of an interval may be accessed with the functions `tau-interval-dom`, `tau-interval-lo-rel`, `tau-interval-lo`, `tau-interval-hi-rel`, and `tau-interval-hi`.