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Things With Temporal Extent


#$TemporalThing   things that exists in time
The collection of all things that have temporal extent or location, i.e. things about which one might sensibly ask When? . #$TemporalThing thus contains many kinds of things, including events, physical objects, agreements, and abstract pieces of time. Note that #$TimePoint is a specialization of #$TemporalThing, since time points have temporal location, although they arguably lack temporal extent. Abstract things that are timeless -- such as mathematical sets, attributes, and numbers -- are of course _not_ instances of #$TemporalThing.
guid: bd5880c4-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalStuffType
direct specialization of: #$Individual  
direct generalization of: #$Artifact-Generic #$Situation-Temporal #$SpatialThing-Localized #$Series #$BeliefSystem #$SomethingExisting #$TimeInterval #$Product #$Group #$Credential #$HumanLanguage #$SoftwareParameter
#$TemporalObjectType   types of temporally object-like thing
A specialization of #$ObjectType (q.v.) whose instances are all and only those collections that are temporally object-like. A collection COL is temporally object-like just in case there is some sense of `temporal part' (see #$timeSlices) according to which any given proper temporal part of an instance of COL is generally _not_ itself an instance of COL. More precisely, for a collection COL to be an instance of #$TemporalObjectType it is sufficient that there be some (proper or improper) specialization TEMPPARTPRED of #$timeSlices such that the following holds: for any OBJ1 and OBJ2 (with OBJ1 and OBJ2 distinct), if (isa OBJ1 COL) and (TEMPPARTPRED OBJ1 OBJ2), then _not_ (isa OBJ2 COL). (Also sufficient for COL's being temporally object-like is that there be some spec-inverse INVTEMPPARTPRED of #$timeSlices such that (INVTEMPPARTPRED OBJ2 OBJ1), with everything else remaining the same as above.) Note that neither of the above sufficient conditions for COL's being a temporal-object-type is strictly necessary: some exceptions are allowed; thus as long as either one of the above conditionals holds in _nearly_ all cases, COL should be considered an instance of #$TemporalObjectType. As an example, consider #$LeapYear. No proper #$timeSlices of a leap year is itself a leap year. So #$LeapYear is an instance of #$TemporalObjectType. See #$TemporalStuffType for the disjoint notion of being temporally stuff-like.
guid: bd58aadf-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$SecondOrderCollection #$AtemporalNecessarilyEssentialCollectionType
direct specialization of: #$ObjectType  
direct generalization of: #$AccessingScriptType #$ClimateCycleType #$CalendarCoveringType #$DayOfWeekType #$MonthOfYearType #$TemporallyDisjointTemporalObjectType #$WeeklyTemporalObjectType #$TimeOfDayType #$HourOfDayType #$CalendarSeasonType #$ConventionallyClassifiedDisjointTimeIntervalType #$AnnualTemporalObjectType
#$TemporalStuffType   types of temporally stuff-like thing    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A specialization of #$StuffType (q.v.) whose instances are all and only those collections that are temporally stuff-like. A collection COL is temporally stuff-like just in case every time slice (see #$timeSlices) of an instance of COL (at or above COL's temporal graularity level; see #$granuleOfTemporalStuff) is itself an instance of COL. More precisely, for a collection COL to be an instance of #$TemporalStuffType it is sufficient that for any OBJ1 and OBJ2 (with OBJ2 at or above COL's temporal granularity level), if (#$isa OBJ1 COL) and (#$timeSlices OBJ1 OBJ2), then (#$isa OBJ2 COL). Consider #$WalkingOnTwoLegs. Take an arbitrary instance WALK of this collection (say Miss America 2000's victory walk down the runway and back); and then take an arbitrary time-slice SUBWALK of WALK that subsumes at least one instance of (the #$granuleOfTemporalStuff for #$WalkingOnTwoLegs) #$TakingAStep (say her trip back from the end of the runway). SUBWALK is itself an instance of #$WalkingOnTwoLegs. So #$WalkingOnTwoLegs is an instance of #$TemporalStuffType. See #$TemporalObjectType for the disjoint notion of being temporally object-like.
guid: bd58ad37-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$SecondOrderCollection #$AtemporalNecessarilyEssentialCollectionType
direct specialization of: #$StuffType  
direct generalization of: #$ElectromagneticRadiationType #$OrganismConstituentType #$WavePropagationType #$SoundWavePropagationType #$ExistingObjectType #$ExistingStuffType #$IBTContentType #$PhysiologicalConditionType
#$Event   events    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
An important specialization of #$Situation-Temporal and #$IntangibleIndividual (qq.v). Each instance of #$Event is a dynamic situation in which the state of the world changes; each instance is something one would say happens . Events are intangible because they consist of changes per se, not tangible objects that effect changes. Instances of #$Event should not be confused with instances of #$TimeInterval (q.v.). The temporal bounds of events are delineated by time intervals, but in contrast to events time intervals have no spatial extent.
guid: bd58800d-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalStuffType
direct specialization of: #$Situation-Temporal  
direct generalization of: #$Event-Localized #$EconomicEvent #$GeneralizedTransfer #$AtLeastPartiallyMentalEvent #$Action #$UMLTransition #$QualitativeTimeOfDay #$Compounding-WordFormationProcess #$Conversion-WordFormationProcess #$ImprovementEvent
#$Event and related constants:
#$SomethingExisting   things existing stably in time
A specialization of #$TemporalThing whose instances are more or less static, as compared (e.g.) to the more dynamic instances of #$Event. The clearest examples of #$SomethingExistings are tangible things, such as people, lakes, stars, and the Earth's ionosphere. But #$SomethingExisting also includes certain intangible temporal things, such as #$Agreements and #$Obligations, that remain relatively stable throughout their lifetimes. On the other hand, #$SomethingExisting excludes purely temporal intangibles such as #$TimeIntervals.
guid: bd58b6e7-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalStuffType
direct specialization of: #$TemporalThing  
direct generalization of: #$Agent-Generic #$GeographicalThing #$Place #$PartiallyTangible #$Entity #$IntangibleExistingThing #$Holdings #$SpatialPathSystem #$Path-Spatial
#$TimeInterval   time intervals
A specialization of #$TemporalThing. Each instance of #$TimeInterval is a temporal thing characterized fully by its temporal attributes. For example, the year 1969 C.E. is an instance of #$TimeInterval; although many interesting things happened during that year, the year itself is completely defined by its temporal extent. On the other hand, the event of Neil Armstrong's walking on the Moon is an #$Event and not a #$TimeInterval, since it is not fully characterized by its temporal extent or other temporal attributes. Specializations of #$TimeInterval include #$CalendarYear, #$CalendarMonth, and #$FiscalQuarter.
guid: bd5880c3-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalStuffType
direct specialization of: #$TemporalThing  #$IntangibleIndividual  
direct generalization of: #$TimeOfDay #$Date #$TimePoint #$AcademicYear #$AcademicQuarter #$AcademicSemester #$AcademicTrimester

Time As A Quantity


#$Time-Quantity   times
A specialization of #$PhysicalQuantity. Each instance of #$Time-Quantity is a physical quantity, corresponding to a certain amount of time , that can be possessed by #$TemporalThings. The #$Time-Quantity had by a given thing represents the total amount of time that the thing exists, occurs over, or endures; see #$duration. Consider a sentence of the form (#$duration TEMPTHING TIMEQUANT). If TEMPTHING is a #$SomethingExisting, the sentence means that TEMPTHING exists for a lifetime that is TIMEQUANT in duration. If TEMPTHING is an #$Event, the sentence means that TEMPTHING (fully) transpires over an interval of time that is TIMEQUANT in duration. If TEMPTHING is itself a #$TimeInterval (q.v.), the sentence means that TEMPTHING has a duration of TIMEQUANT. The standard unit of #$Time-Quantity in Cyc is #$SecondsDuration (q.v.); but there are other ways to specify an amount of time, e.g. with other instances of #$UnitOfMeasure (such as #$WeeksDuration and #$YearsDuration) or with instances of #$Time-Quantity (such as #$LongTime, #$Immediately, and #$AFewDecadesDuration).
guid: bd5880a5-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$FundamentalNumericScalarIntervalType #$AtemporalNecessarilyEssentialCollectionType
direct specialization of: #$NonNegativeScalarInterval  #$PhysicalQuantity  
#$SecondsDuration   second    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A #$UnitOfTime function that takes one or two real numbers as arguments and returns, as its value, a comparable #$Time-Quantity attribute measured in seconds. More precisely, an expression of the form (#$SecondsDuration NUM) denotes the (point-value) #$Time-Quantity of being exactly NUM seconds in duration, and an expression of the form (#$SecondsDuration MIN MAX) denotes the (properly interval-like) #$Time-Quantity of being at least MIN and at most MAX seconds in duration.
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direct instance of: #$CGSUnitOfMeasure #$UnitOfTime #$StandardUnitOfMeasure #$UnitOfMeasureNoPrefix #$Individual
#$MinutesDuration   minute (unit of time)
A #$UnitOfTime function that takes one or two real numbers as arguments and returns, as its value, a comparable #$Time-Quantity attribute measured in minutes. More precisely, an expression of the form (#$MinutesDuration NUM) denotes the ( point-value ) #$Time-Quantity of being exactly NUM minutes in duration, and an expression of the form (#$MinutesDuration MIN MAX) denotes the (properly interval-like) #$Time-Quantity of being at least MIN minutes and at most MAX minutes in duration.
guid: bd58eb73-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$UnitOfTime #$UnitOfMeasureNoPrefix #$Individual
#$HoursDuration   hour
A #$UnitOfTime function that takes one or two real numbers as argument(s) and returns, as its value, a comparable #$Time-Quantity attribute measured in hours. More precisely: an expression of the form (#$HoursDuration NUM) denotes a ( point-like ) #$Time-Quantity of being exactly NUM hours in duration; an expression of the form (#$HoursDuration MIN MAX) denotes a (properly interval-like) #$Time-Quantity of being at least MIN hours and most MAX hours in duration.
guid: bd58eb34-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$UnitOfTime #$UnitOfMeasureNoPrefix #$Individual
#$DaysDuration   day (unit of time) (unit of measure) (relationship)    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A #$UnitOfTime function that takes one or two real numbers as arguments and returns, as its value, a comparable #$Time-Quantity attribute measured in years. More precisely, an expression of the form (#$DaysDuration NUM) denotes the ( point-value ) #$Time-Quantity of being exactly NUM days in duration, and an expression of the form (#$YearsDuration MIN MAX) denotes the (properly interval-like) #$Time-Quantity of being at least MIN days and at most MAX days in duration.
guid: bd58eaaf-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$UnitOfTime #$UnitOfMeasureNoPrefix #$Individual
#$MonthsDuration   month (unit of time) (unit of measure) (relationship)    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
This is a function that takes one or two numbers and returns, as its value, some #$Time-Quantity. An expression of the form (#$MonthsDuration MIN MAX) denotes a #$Time-Quantity that is at least MIN months and at most MAX months. (#$MonthsDuration NUM) denotes a #$Time-Quantity that is exactly NUM months.
guid: bd58ea6a-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$UnitOfTime #$UnitOfMeasureNoPrefix #$Individual
#$QuartersDuration   quarter (unit of time) (unit of measure) (relationship)
A #$UnitOfTime function that takes one or two real numbers as arguments and returns, as its value, a comparable #$Time-Quantity attribute measured in quarter-years. More precisely, an expression of the form (#$QuartersDuration NUM) denotes the ( point-value ) #$Time-Quantity of being exactly NUM quarter-years in duration, and an expression of the form (#$QuartersDuration MIN MAX) denotes the (properly interval-like) #$Time-Quantity of being at least MIN quarter-years and at most MAX quarter-years in duration.
guid: bd5c796e-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$UnitOfTime #$UnitOfMeasureNoPrefix #$Individual
#$YearsDuration   year (unit of time) (unit of measure) (relationship)    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A #$UnitOfTime function that takes one or two real numbers as arguments and returns, as its value, a comparable #$Time-Quantity attribute measured in years. More precisely, an expression of the form (#$YearsDuration NUM) denotes the ( point-value ) #$Time-Quantity of being exactly NUM years in duration, and an expression of the form (#$YearsDuration MIN MAX) denotes the (properly interval-like) #$Time-Quantity of being at least MIN years and at most MAX years in duration.
guid: bd58eaef-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$UnitOfTime #$UnitOfMeasureNoPrefix #$Individual
#$AFewMinutesDuration-Coll   a few minutes    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
Duration of 2 to 10 minutes
guid: 4c781372-74be-11d6-8000-00a0c99cc5ae
direct instance of: #$Collection
direct specialization of: #$Time-Quantity  
#$AFewDecadesDuration-Coll   a few decades    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
Duration of 2 to 10 decades
guid: 78ad7ae8-74c0-11d6-8000-00a0c99cc5ae
direct instance of: #$Collection
direct specialization of:
#$AFewHoursDuration-Coll   a few hours    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
Duration of 2 to 10 hours
guid: 6856d282-74bd-11d6-8000-00a0c99cc5ae
direct instance of: #$Collection
direct specialization of: #$Time-Quantity  
#$AFewSecondsDuration-Coll   a few seconds    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
Duration of 2 to 30 seconds
guid: 0ed6cc06-74bf-11d6-8000-00a0c99cc5ae
direct instance of: #$Collection
direct specialization of:

Time Points


#$TimePoint   time points
A subcollection of #$TimeInterval (q.v.). An instance of #$TimePoint is an interval of time that has no duration (or, if you prefer, an infinitely small duration). A time point corresponds to what is colloquially described as an instant or moment . If time is likened to a (perhaps infinitely long) straight line, then each #$TimePoint is like a particular point on that line. Given that time intervals are defined purely by their locations in time, no two time intervals can occupy exactly the same times (see #$cotemporal); and since time points are intervals with no duration, no two time points can even overlap (see #$temporallyOverlaps). Some temporal properties of #$TemporalThings are given in terms of time points, e.g. #$startingPoint and #$endingPoint. See also #$Now.
guid: bd58ca05-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporallyDisjointTemporalObjectType
direct specialization of: #$TimeInterval  
Time points:
#$simultaneousWith   simultaneous with    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
(#$simultaneousWith T1 T2) means that #$TimePoints T1 and T2 occur at exactly the same time (and therefore T1 #$equals T2). Note that individual #$TimePoints are seldom mentioned in axioms. Rather, an axiom is more likely to use some #$ComplexTemporalPredicate, such as #$cotemporal or #$temporalBoundsIdentical, which holds between two #$TemporalThings. These #$ComplexTemporalPredicates are themselves usually defined in terms of #$PrimitiveTemporalPredicates, such as #$after and #$simultaneousWith, which relate one #$TimePoint to another.
guid: bd58a4fb-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$PrimitiveTemporalPredicate #$EquivalenceRelation
direct specialization of: #$equals #$cotemporal #$endingPoint #$startingPoint #$temporalBoundsIntersect
#$after   after (primitive temporal predicate) (temporal predicate) (transitive binary predicate)
A #$PrimitiveTemporalPredicate that relates two points in time. (#$after LATER EARLIER) means #$TimePoint LATER is after (occurs later in time than) #$TimePoint EARLIER.
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direct instance of: #$PrimitiveTemporalPredicate #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$startsAfterEndingOf
#$StartFn   start fn
An instance of #$IndividualDenotingFunction. When applied to an instance THING of #$TemporalThing, #$StartFn returns the #$TimePoint at which THING began.
guid: be010fc3-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$IndividualDenotingFunction #$UnaryFunction #$ReifiableFunction #$Individual
#$startingPoint   beginning    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
This predicate relates a temporal thing to the time point at which it starts or begins to exist. (#$startingPoint THING POINT) means that THING begins at POINT, which is the earliest moment of its temporal extent. See also #$endingPoint.
guid: be00f69c-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalPredicate #$NonPhysicalPartPredicate #$FunctionalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyCooriginating #$temporallySubsumes
#$EndFn   end fn
#$EndFn is a unary function that takes an instance of #$TemporalThing as an argument and returns an instance of #$TimePoint. (#$EndFn TT) denotes the time pint at which TT ends. Thus: (#$endingPoint ?PERIOD (#$EndFn ?PERIOD)) is true.
guid: be01123d-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$IndividualDenotingFunction #$UnaryFunction #$ReifiableFunction #$Individual
#$endingPoint   end (temporal part slot) (nonphysical part predicate) (temporal predicate)
This predicate relates a temporal thing to the time point at which it ends or ceases to exist. (#$endingPoint THING POINT) means that #$TemporalThing THING ends at #$TimePoint POINT, which is the last moment of its temporal extent. See also #$startingPoint.
guid: be00f6d1-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalPredicate #$NonPhysicalPartPredicate #$FunctionalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyCoterminal #$temporallySubsumes
#$Now   the present    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
#$Now is a special #$TimePoint which denotes the current moment from the perspective of the instantiation of #$CycTheCollection that is currently being run (i.e. #$Cyc). If one asks (#$indexicalReferent #$Now ?X) one will get an answer in which ?X is bound to whatever the time is according to the central processing unit of #$Cyc. Thus the referent of #$Now does not vary with the #$Microtheory in which one asks (#$indexicalReferent #$Now ?X). Instead the referent of #$Now varies from moment to moment down to the resolution of #$Cyc's central processing unit. See also #$Now-Generally which is not necessarily a #$TimePoint. See #$RealTimeMt for a microtheory in which #$Now-Generally #$temporallySubsumes #$Now.
guid: bd58a068-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TimePoint #$Individual
#$Always-TimeInterval   forever    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
The interval of time which encompasses all time. In more general MTs we remain agnostic as to whether this time interval has either a beginning or an end, but if it does, #$Always-TimeInterval begins when time itself begins and ends only when time ends completely. Every other instance of #$TimeInterval is a #$timeSlices of #$Always-TimeInterval.
guid: c0ea3419-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TimeInterval #$Individual
#$TheStartOfTheCommonEra   the start of the Common Era    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
This is the instant of time between the years BC and AD.
guid: bd58a435-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TimePoint #$Individual

Properties Of Temporal Objects


#$startingDate   starting date
A #$ComplexTemporalPredicate that is used to specify the date (see #$Date) on which a given temporal thing starts to happen or begins to exist. (#$startingDate TEMP-THING DATE) means that TEMP-THING starts (if TEMP-THING is an event or other #$Situation-Temporal) or begins to exist (if TEMP-THING is a physical object or other #$SomethingExisting) sometime during DATE. That is, (#$temporallySubsumes DATE (#$StartFn TEMP-THING)) holds. Note that DATE, though defined in terms of a calendar, need not be a particular day or year (e.g. it might be a particular minute or month or decade). See also #$startingPoint and #$endingDate.
guid: bd58a0a8-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyIntersects
#$endingDate   ending date
A #$ComplexTemporalPredicate that is used to specify the date (see #$Date) on which a given temporal thing ends or ceases to exist. (#$endingDate TEMP-THING DATE) means that TEMP-THING ends (if TEMP-THING is an event or other #$Situation-Temporal) or ceases to exist (if TEMP-THING is a physical object or other #$SomethingExisting) sometime during DATE. That is, (#$temporallySubsumes DATE (#$EndFn TEMP-THING)) holds. Note that DATE, though defined in terms of a calendar, need not be a particular day or year (e.g. it might be a particular minute or month or decade). See also #$endingPoint and #$startingDate.
guid: bd58a22c-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyIntersects
Start and Ending dates:
#$duration   duration
This predicate relates a temporal thing to the length of time it happened or existed. (#$duration TEMPTHING DURATION) means that DURATION is the length of time TEMPTHING happened (if an event) or existed (if a physical object or static situation). If TEMPTHING is #$temporallyContinuous, its #$duration is the same as its #$measure (the elapsed time from start to end); but if TEMPTHING is discontinuous, its #$duration is strictly less than its #$measure. For example, the #$duration of Sundays-in-April-2001 is (#$DaysDuration 5), whereas the #$measure of that same temporal object is (#$DaysDuration 29).
guid: bd58a3b3-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$IntervalBasedQuantitySlot
#$measure   measure    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
This predicate relates a temporal thing to the total elapsed time from its start to its end. (#$measure TEMPTHING MEASURE) means that MEASURE is the total elapsed time from when TEMPTHING started to happen (if an event) or started to exist (if a physical object or static situation) to when TEMPTHING ended or ceased to exist. If TEMPTHING is #$temporallyContinuous, its #$measure is the same as its #$duration (the length of time during which it actually happened or existed); but if TEMPTHING is discontinuous, its #$measure is strictly greater than its #$duration. For example, the discontinuous event GeorgeWashingtonSleeping has a #$measure that is about three times as long as its #$duration (assuming he slept about 8 hours a night).
guid: bd590049-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$IntervalBasedQuantitySlot
#$temporallyContinuous   temporally continuous    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
If (#$temporallyContinuous TEMP-OBJ), then TEMP-OBJ occupies one continuous chunk of time. There are no time intervals between the start and end of TEMP-OBJ during which TEMP-OBJ is not occurring/existing.
guid: c0e60c80-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$UnaryPredicate
Durations:

Relations Between Temporal Objects


#$TemporalPredicate   temporal predicates
A specialization of both #$ObjectPredicate and #$BinaryPredicate. Each instance of #$TemporalPredicate is a (direct or indirect) specialization of #$temporallyRelated (q.v.) that is used to say something about the relative positions of two #$TemporalThings in time. #$PrimitiveTemporalPredicates (such as #$after) relate #$TimePoints only, and #$ComplexTemporalPredicates (such as #$postEvents and #$startingDate) also relate more complicated temporal objects such as events, tangible objects, and proper time intervals. Note that _not_all_ specializations of #$temporallyRelated are #$TemporalPredicates; e.g. while (#$relatives ORGANISM1 ORGANISM2) implies that ORGANISM1 and ORGANISM2 are somehow temporally related, it says nothing about their relative positions in time.
guid: bd58b887-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$PredicateCategory
direct specialization of: #$ObjectPredicate  #$BinaryPredicate  
direct generalization of: #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$PrimitiveTemporalPredicate
#$PrimitiveTemporalPredicate   primitive temporal predicates
A specialization of #$TemporalPredicate (q.v.) whose instances relate individual time points only. Thus, each instance of #$PrimitiveTemporalPredicate has both of its argument-places constrained to instances (see #$argIsa) of #$TimePoint. Instances include #$after and #$simultaneousWith (and those are in fact the only two primitive temporal predicates reified in the Cyc knowledge base). Compare #$ComplexTemporalPredicate.
guid: bd58845f-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$PredicateCategory
direct specialization of: #$TemporalPredicate  
#$ComplexTemporalPredicate   complex temporal predicates
A specialization of #$TemporalPredicate (q.v.) whose instances relate temporal things other than (but possibly including) individual time points. Thus, each instance of #$ComplexTemporalPredicate has both its argument-places constrained to instances (see #$argIsa) of #$TemporalThing or some specialization thereof (and at least one of these constraints must be broader than #$TimePoint). A complex temporal predicate might be used to relate events, tangible objects, proper time intervals, and so forth. Instances include #$temporallyIntersects and #$startsAfterStartingOf. Compare #$PrimitiveTemporalPredicate.
guid: bd58ec70-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AtemporalNecessarilyEssentialCollectionType #$PredicateCategory
direct specialization of: #$TemporalPredicate  
These are the important instances of #$ComplexTemporalRelation, except for #$subEvents, #$postEvents, #$postSituation, #$subAbstrac, and #$laterSubAbstractions:


#$cotemporal   cotemporal    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**

(#$cotemporal X Y) means that X and Y have the exact same temporal extent. This is a much stronger relation than #$temporalBoundsIdentical (q.v.). Note: Cyc's #$cotemporal relation is equivalent to what James Allen independently dubbed the EQUALS relation.
guid: bd58d6cf-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$EquivalenceRelation #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporalBoundsIdentical #$temporallySubsumes
Cotemporality:
#$temporallySubsumes   temporally subsumes
(#$temporallySubsumes LONG SHORT) means that all time points of SHORT are contained in LONG. This implies that SHORT does not start before LONG, nor end after LONG. Moreover, if there is some time point or interval when LONG is not happening, then neither is SHORT. Note that this relation is weaker than #$cotemporal, which can be thought of as requiring that LONG and SHORT #$temporallySubsumes each other. Note also that this relation is a strictly temporal relationship between LONG and SHORT; it is weaker than the relation #$subEvents, which can be thought of as requiring that LONG not only #$temporallySubsumes SHORT but also contains SHORT as a `part'.
guid: bd588019-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$NonPhysicalPartPredicate #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyIntersects #$temporalBoundsSubsume
#$startsDuring   starts during
A #$ComplexTemporalPredicate that is a specialization of both #$startsAfterStartingOf and #$temporalBoundsIntersect (qq.v.), and that relates a given temporal thing (see #$TemporalThing) to another such that the first starts to exist or occur at some time between the start and the end of the existence or occurrence of the second. (#$startsDuring TEMPTHING1 TEMPTHING2) means that the start (see #$startingPoint) of TEMPTHING1 is properly contained within the temporal bounds (see #$temporalBoundsContain) of TEMPTHING2. Note that this does _not_ entail that TEMPTHING1 and TEMPTHING2 _intersect_ in time (see #$temporallyIntersects); but they will intersect if (e.g.) TEMPTHING2 is temporally continuous (see #$temporallyContinuous).
guid: bd58dd0c-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$startsAfterStartingOf #$temporalBoundsIntersect
#$endsDuring   ends during    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
(#$endsDuring X Y) means Y covers the end of X, i.e. the #$endingPoint of X is properly contained in (#$temporalBoundsContain) Y. Note that X and Y don't necessarily intersect, however, if Y is continuous, they do.
guid: bd58d9b6-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporalBoundsIntersect #$endsAfterStartingOf
Starts and Ends during:
#$temporallyIntersects   temporal intersection
This predicate relates temporal things whose temporal extentions overlap, i.e. things that exist concurrently for at least part of their lifetimes. More precisely: (#$temporallyIntersects OBJ1 OBJ2) means that there is some #$TimeInterval (possibly as small as a #$TimePoint) temporally subsumed by (see #$temporallySubsumes) both OBJ1 and OBJ2.
guid: bd58c89b-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$SymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporalBoundsIntersect
#$startsAfterEndingOf   starting after the end of
A #$ComplexTemporalRelation (q.v.) that relates any pair of temporal things such that the first starts after the second ends. (#$startsAfterEndingOf AFTER BEFORE) means that the time point (see #$TimePoint) at which AFTER first starts to exist or occur is temporally later than (see #$after) the time point at which BEFORE finally ceases to exist or occur. Thus it is equivalent to the form (#$after (#$StartFn AFTER) (#$EndFn BEFORE)). That is, the #$startingPoint of AFTER is later than the #$endingPoint of BEFORE.
guid: bd58d0c9-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$startsAfterStartingOf #$endsAfterEndingOf #$temporallyDisjoint
#$endsAfterEndingOf   ending after the end of
(#$endsAfterEndingOf LATER EARLY) means that LATER ceases to exists or occur after EARLY ceases to exist or occur. That is, the #$endingPoint of LATER is later than the #$endingPoint of EARLY, or, equivalently, (#$after (#$EndFn LATER) (#$EndFn EARLY). This implies nothing about whether, or by how much, LATER and EARLY overlap, except that they can't be fully #$cotemporal.
guid: bd58d61d-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$endsAfterStartingOf
#$startsAfterStartingOf   starts after starting of
(#$startsAfterStartingOf LATER-START EARLIER-START) means that LATER-START begins to exists or occur after EARLIER-START begins to exist or occur. That is, the #$startingPoint of LATER-START is later than the #$startingPoint of EARLIER-START or, equivalently, (#$after (#$StartFn LATER-START) (#$StartFn EARLIER-START)). This implies nothing about whether, or by how much, LATER-START and EARLIER-START overlap, except that they can't be fully #$cotemporal.
guid: bd58b037-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$endsAfterStartingOf
#$endsAfterStartingOf   ending after the start of
(#$endsAfterStartingOf ENDER STARTER) means that ENDER ceases to exist or occur after STARTER begins to exist or occur. That is, the #$endingPoint of ENDER is later than the #$startingPoint of STARTER. Equivalently: (#$after (#$EndFn ENDER) (#$StartFn STARTER)). This implies nothing about whether, or by how much, the temporal extents of ENDER and STARTER overlap.
guid: bd58c819-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyRelated
#$temporallyCooriginating   temporally cooriginating
A #$ComplexTemporalPredicate (q.v.) that is a specialization of #$temporallyIntersects. (#$temporallyCooriginating TEMP1 TEMP2) means that the point of time at which TEMP1 starts to exist or occur (see #$startingPoint) is the same as the point of time at which TEMP2 starts to exist or occur. Equivalently, (#$simultaneousWith (#$StartFn TEMP1) (#$StartFn TEMP2)) holds. (Note that #$simultaneousWith is a specialization of #$equals.) Sharing the same starting point as they do, TEMP1 and TEMP2 thus intersect temporally.
guid: bd58c91e-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$EquivalenceRelation #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyIntersects
#$temporallyCoterminal   temporally coterminal
A #$ComplexTemporalPredicate that relates temporal things that terminate (i.e. cease to exist or end) at the same time. (#$temporallyCoterminal TEMP1 TEMP2) means that the time point at which TEMP1 ends (see #$endingPoint) is the same as that at which TEMP2 ends. It thus entails that (#$simultaneousWith (#$EndFn TEMP1) (#$EndFn TEMP2)) holds. See also #$temporallyCooriginating.
guid: bd58c8dd-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$EquivalenceRelation #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyIntersects
#$contiguousAfter   contiguous after
(#$contiguousAfter AFTER BEFORE) means that the #$TemporalThing AFTER starts immediately following the #$TemporalThing BEFORE. AFTER and BEFORE have no time points in common, but there is also no time point between the ending of BEFORE and the starting of AFTER.
guid: bd58a7e2-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AntiTransitiveBinaryPredicate #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$startsAfterEndingOf
Contiguous after:
#$temporalBoundsIdentical   temporal bounds identical
(#$temporalBoundsIdentical X Y) means that X and Y are both #$temporallyCooriginating and #$temporallyCoterminal. That is, X and Y have the same #$startingPoint and the same #$endingPoint. Note that if X and Y are both #$temporallyContinuous objects, such as a pair of ashtrays, then it follows that they are completely #$cotemporal.
guid: bd58c961-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$EquivalenceRelation #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporalBoundsSubsume #$temporallyCooriginating #$temporallyCoterminal
Temporal bounds:
#$overlapsStart   overlaps start
(#$overlapsStart FIRST SECOND) means that the #$TemporalThing SECOND starts during the #$TemporalThing FIRST, and FIRST ends during SECOND. Consequently, the #$startingPoint of FIRST is before the #$startingPoint of SECOND, the #$endingPoint of FIRST is after the #$startingPoint of SECOND, and the #$endingPoint of FIRST is before the #$endingPoint of SECOND.
guid: bd58d974-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$endsDuring
#$temporalBoundsContain   temporal bounds contain
(#$temporalBoundsContain LONGER SHORTER) means that the temporal boundaries of LONGER strictly contain those of SHORTER. In other words, LONGER starts before SHORTER and ends after it -- the #$startingPoint of LONGER is some positive, non-zero amount of time earlier than the #$startingPoint of SHORTER, and the #$endingPoint of LONGER is some positive, non-zero amount of time later than the #$endingPoint of SHORTER. If LONGER is #$temporallyContinuous, then (#$temporalBoundsContain LONGER SHORTER) further implies (#$temporallySubsumes LONGER SHORTER). Note: This Cyc temporal relation is equivalent to what James Allen independently dubbed the CONTAINS relation.
guid: bd58810f-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporalBoundsSubsume
#$temporallyStartedBy   temporally started by
A #$ComplexTemporalPredicate that is a specialization of both #$temporallyCooriginating and #$endsAfterEndingOf (qq.v.). (#$temporallyStartedBy TEMPTHING STARTER) means that TEMPTHING and STARTER start to occur or exist at the same time point (see #$startingPoint) and that TEMPTHING ends or ceases to exist (see #$endingPoint) after STARTER ends or ceases to exist. For example, TEMPTHING might be a #$WeddingCeremony and STARTER might be the bride's walk down the aisle.
guid: bd58d660-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$endsAfterEndingOf #$temporallyCooriginating
#$temporallyFinishedBy   conclusion
(#$temporallyFinishedBy PERIOD FINISH) means that PERIOD (an instance of #$TemporalThing) and FINISH (another instance of #$TemporalThing) end simultaneously (see #$temporallyCoterminal), and that FINISH starts within the bounds of PERIOD. That is, the #$endingPoint of PERIOD and FINISH are the same instance of #$TimePoint (q.v.), and the #$startingPoint of FINISH is later than the #$startingPoint of PERIOD.
guid: bd58a8d3-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$AsymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyCoterminal
#$temporalBoundsIntersect   temporal bounds intersect
(#$temporalBoundsIntersect TEMP1 TEMP2) means that the continuous time interval between the start and end of TEMP1 (inclusive) temporally intersects the continuous time interval between the start and end of TEMP2 (inclusive). Clearly, if TEMP1 and TEMP2 are themselves temporally continuous, then the above entails the stronger statement (#$temporallyIntersects TEMP1 TEMP2). However, if either TEMP1 or TEMP2 is temporally discontinuous, it is possible for their bounds to intersect without their having any time point in common. For example, the bounds of the discontinuous event of Fred sleeping this week might intersect the bounds of Fred eating this week , even though the two events share no time points.
guid: bd58c862-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$SymmetricBinaryPredicate #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyRelated
#$temporalUnionOf   temporal union of    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
(#$temporalUnionOf X Y) indicates that Y is one of the #$TemporalThings which -- taken together -- define the temporal extent of X. Here is what we mean by that: the set of #$TimePoints in X must precisely equal the union of all the sets Y1, Y2, Y3,... of #$TimePoints in all the Yi's such that (#$temporalUnionOf X Yi). The Yi's need not be disjoint, but often are. For example, the days of 1996 are in the relation #$temporalUnionOf to the weekdays of 1996 and to the weekend days of 1996. There may be multiple ways to `decompose' X into a set of Yi's of this sort, and Cyc provides less terse ways to represent that explicitly; but in practice, we have found that this terse relation is often exactly what is needed.
guid: bd58bc2f-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallySubsumes
#$temporallyDisjoint   temporally disjoint
(#$temporallyDisjoint OBJ1 OBJ2) means that OBJ1 and OBJ2 do not temporally intersect, i.e., that there are no time points which are common to both. If both OBJ1 and OBJ2 are #$temporallyContinuous, then it also follows that their temporal boundaries do not intersect (cf. #$temporalBoundsIntersect). Otherwise, their temporal boundaries may still overlap. Consider the discontinuous events denoted by Fred sleeping this week and Fred driving this week, which are presumably #$temporallyDisjoint even though they are interleaved during the same week.
guid: bd58d5db-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$SymmetricBinaryPredicate #$IrreflexiveBinaryPredicate #$ComplexTemporalPredicate
direct specialization of: #$temporallyRelated #$different
#$startsRelativeToStartOf   starts relative to start of
(#$startsRelativeToStartOf AFTER TIME BEFORE) means that AFTER starts duration TIME after BEFORE starts. That is, the #$startingPoint of AFTER is after the #$startingPoint of BEFORE, by an amount of time TIME. See also #$startsRelativeToEndOf.
guid: bd58a2ae-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$ObjectPredicate #$TernaryPredicate
#$startsRelativeToEndOf   starts relative to end of    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
(#$startsRelativeToEndOf AFTER TIME BEFORE) means that AFTER starts duration TIME after BEFORE ends. That is, the #$startingPoint of AFTER is after the #$endingPoint of BEFORE, by an amount of time TIME.
guid: bd58a370-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TernaryPredicate

Disjoint Temporal Objects


#$MutuallyDisjointIntervalCollectionType   types of mutually disjoint collection of temporal objects    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
A collection of collections. Any element, X, which is an instance of #$MutuallyDisjointIntervalCollectionType is a collection of interval types X1, X2, X3,..., whose instances are temporallyDisjoint ; that is, each instance of X1 has no temporal intersection with any instance of X2 or X3 or...; each instance of X2 has no temporal intersection with any instance of X1 or X3 or...; etc. For example, consider DayOfWeekType, whose instances are Monday, Tuesday,... It is true that (#$isa #$DayOfWeekType #$MutuallyDisjointIntervalCollectionType), because no Monday can temporally intersect any Tuesday or Wednesday or....; no Tuesday can temporally intersect any Monday or Wednesday or...; etc. Other elements of MutuallyDisjointIntervalCollectionType include #$DayOfWeekType, #$CalendarSeasonType, #$HourOfDayType, and so on. See also #$TemporallyDisjointTemporalObjectType.
guid: be0111d4-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$ThirdOrderCollection
direct specialization of: #$SecondOrderCollection  
direct generalization of: #$CyclicalIntervalGroupType
#$TemporallyDisjointTemporalObjectType   types of temporally disjoint interval
A collection of collections. TYPE is an instance of #$TemporallyDisjointTemporalObjectType just in case any two distinct instances of TYPE are #$temporallyDisjoint. For example, #$Wednesday is an instance of #$TemporallyDisjointTemporalObjectType because no Wednesday can temporally intersect any Wednesday other than itself.
guid: be011303-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$SecondOrderCollection
direct specialization of: #$TemporalObjectType  
direct generalization of: #$ConventionallyClassifiedDisjointTimeIntervalType #$WeeklyTemporalObjectType #$CalendarCoveringType #$AnnualTemporalObjectType

Time


#$CotemporalPredicate   cotemporal predicates
#$CotemporalPredicate is the collection of #$Predicates PRED such that whenever a formula (PRED ARG1 ... ARGN) is true at a moment in time, it will be the case that the moment belongs to the temporal extent of each ARG among ARG1, ..., ARGN that is an instance of #$TemporalThing (so that each such ARG temporally subsumes the moment). For example, #$owns is a #$CotemporalPredicate. So from the assertion (#$holdsIn (#$YearFn 1992) (#$owns Nick Spot)), we can conclude (given that Nick and Spot are #$TemporalThings) that Nick and Spot were alive throughout (temporally subsume) 1992. In contrast, consider the predicate #$awareOf, which is not a #$CotemporalPredicate. The assertion (#$holdsIn (#$YearFn 1992) (#$awareOf Fred #$GeorgeWashington) doesn't justify the conclusion (#$temporallySubsumes #$GeorgeWashington (#$YearFn 1992)). In general (with the qualifications indicated below), an assertion (#$holdsIn TIME (PRED ARG1 ... ARGN)), with PRED a #$CotemporalPredicate and ARG among ARG1, ..., ARGN an instance of #$TemporalThing, licenses the conclusion (#$temporallySubsumes ARG TIME). Moreover, an assertion (#$holdsSometimeDuring TIME (PRED ARG1 ... ARGN)) licenses the conclusion (#$temporallyIntersects ARG TIME). Although what constitutes a moment can vary with context, for most microtheories explicit considerations of temporal granularity (in this sense) don't come into play. In particular, in the case of most microtheories, one doesn't have to worry about the possibility of gaps in the fabric of time between moments (note that the presence of such gaps would undermine the conclusion above about temporal subsumption). Another qualification is that ARG is not an #$IndexicalFirstOrderTerm; in practice, it almost never is. In order to bar predicates that would otherwise trivially qualify as instances of #$CotemporalPredicate, the type-constraint on at least one of the argument-places of a #$CotemporalPredicate PRED must be non-disjoint with #$TemporalThing (or, more generally, the collection of things satisfying all of the #$argIsa and #$argGenl constraints on at least one of the argument-places of PRED must be non-disjoint with #$TemporalThing). See also the specialization of #$CotemporalPredicate, #$CotemporalObjectsSlot, and the predicate #$contemporaryInArg.
guid: bd5981b7-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$PredicateCategory
direct specialization of: #$ObjectPredicate  
direct generalization of: #$SpatialPredicate #$PhysicalCompositionPredicate #$CotemporalObjectsSlot
#$CotemporalObjectsSlot   predicates relating cotemporal objects    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
#$CotemporalObjectsSlot is the collection of #$BinaryPredicates PRED such that whenever a formula without free variables (PRED ARG1 ARG2) is true at a moment in time, it will be the case that the moment belongs to the temporal extent of both ARG1 and ARG2 (i.e., that ARG1 and ARG2 are #$TemporalThings which temporally subsume the moment). For example, #$owns is a #$CotemporalObjectsSlot. So from the assertion (#$holdsIn (#$YearFn 1992) (#$owns Nick Spot)), we can conclude that Nick and Spot were alive throughout (temporally subsume) 1992. In contrast, consider the predicate #$awareOf, which is not a #$CotemporalObjectsSlot. The assertion (#$holdsIn (#$YearFn 1992) (#$awareOf Fred #$GeorgeWashington) doesn't justify the conclusion (#$temporallySubsumes #$GeorgeWashington (#$YearFn 1992)). In general (with the qualifications indicated below), a closed assertion (#$holdsIn TIME (PRED ARG1 ARG2)), with PRED a #$CotemporalObjectsSlot, licenses the conclusions (#$temporallySubsumes ARG1 TIME) and (#$temporallySubsumes ARG2 TIME). And a closed assertion (#$holdsSometimeDuring TIME (PRED ARG1 ARG2)) licenses the conclusions (#$temporallyIntersects ARG1 TIME) and (#$temporallyIntersects ARG2 TIME). Although what constitutes a moment can vary with context, for most microtheories explicit considerations of temporal granularity (in this sense) don't come into play. In particular, in the case of most microtheories, one doesn't have to worry about the possibility of gaps in the fabric of time between moments. (Such gaps would undermine the conclusions above about temporal subsumption.) Another qualification is that ARG1 and ARG2 are not #$IndexicalFirstOrderTerms; in practice, they almost never are. See also the generalization of #$CotemporalObjectsSlot, #$CotemporalPredicate, and the predicate #$contemporaryInArg.
guid: bd58af35-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$PredicateCategory #$AtemporalNecessarilyEssentialCollectionType
direct specialization of: #$CotemporalPredicate  #$BinaryPredicate  
direct generalization of: #$ConnectionPredicate
#$contemporaryInArg   contemporary in arg
(#$contemporaryInArg PRED N) means that the #$Predicate PRED is such that whenever a formula (PRED ... ARGN ...), with ARGN a #$TemporalThing, is true at a moment in time, it will be the case that the moment belongs to the temporal extent of ARGN (i.e., that ARGN temporally subsumes the moment). For example, it's the case that (#$contemporaryInArg #$awareOf 1). So from the assertion (#$holdsIn (#$YearFn 1992) (#$awareOf Fred #$GeorgeWashington), we can conclude (given that Fred is a #$TemporalThing) that Fred was alive throughout (temporally subsumes) 1992. But it's not the case that (#$contemporaryInArg #$awareOf 2). And indeed we wouldn't want to conclude that #$GeorgeWashington was alive throughout 1992. In general (with the qualifications indicated below), an assertion (#$holdsIn TIME (PRED ... ARGN ...)), with PRED such that (#$contemporaryInArg PRED N) and ARGN a #$TemporalThing, licenses the conclusion (#$temporallySubsumes ARGN TIME). And an assertion (#$holdsSometimeDuring TIME (PRED ... ARGN ...)) licenses the conclusion (#$temporallyIntersects ARGN TIME). Although what constitutes a moment can vary with context, for most microtheories explicit considerations of temporal granularity (in this sense) don't come into play. In particular, in the case of most microtheories, one doesn't have to worry about the possibility of gaps in the fabric of time between moments. (Such gaps would undermine the conclusion above about temporal subsumption.) Another qualification is that ARGN is not a #$IndexicalFirstOrderTerm; in practice, it almost never is. In order for a predicate PRED to be contemporary in its Nth argument-place, the arity of PRED must be greater than or equal to N, and the argument-type of the Nth argument-place of PRED must be non-disjoint with #$TemporalThing (or, more generally, the intersection of the argument-types of the Nth argument-place of PRED must be non-disjoint with #$TemporalThing). This is to bar cases in which a predicate would otherwise trivially qualify as contemporary in its Nth argument-place. Note that #$CotemporalObjectsSlots are contemporary in both their first and second argument-places, and #$CotemporalPredicates are contemporary in at least one argument-place.
guid: c0e0a498-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$BinaryPredicate #$MetaPredicate

Type


#$temporallySubsumedBy-InsType   temporally subsumed by - ins type    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
(#$temporallySubsumedBy-InsType TEMPORAL-THING INTERVAL-TYPE) means that some instance of INTERVAL-TYPE #$temporallySubsumes (q.v.) TEMPORAL-THING. For example, (#$temporallySubsumedBy-InsType FredsBirth #$Wednesday) means that Fred was born on a Wednesday.
guid: bd58d7de-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$CollectionPredicate #$BinaryPredicate
#$followingIntervalType   following interval type    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
(#$followingIntervalType X Y) indicates that every instance of X is followed by some instance of Y, and every instance of Y is preceded by some instance of X. The instance of Y is #$contiguousAfter the instance of X. For example, (#$followingIntervalType #$Saturday #$Sunday). Every Saturday is followed by a Sunday, and every Sunday is preceded by a Saturday; the Sunday is #$contiguousAfter the Saturday.
guid: be010ec8-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalPredicate
#$temporallySubsumes-TypeType   temporally subsumes - type type
(#$temporallySubsumes-TypeType SUBSUMING-TYPE SUBSUMED-TYPE) means that every instance of SUBSUMING-TYPE #$temporallySubsumes some instance of SUBSUMED-TYPE. For example, it is true that (#$temporallySubsumes-TypeType #$CalendarQuarter #$CalendarMonth), which means that every calendar quarter subsumes at least one entire calendar month.
guid: be010f1d-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalPredicate #$AntiSymmetricBinaryPredicate #$RuleMacroPredicate #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate #$TransitiveBinaryPredicate
direct specialization of: #$intersectsIntervalType
#$intersectsIntervalType   intersects interval type
A binary predicate that relates a specialization of #$TemporalThing to another specialization of #$TemporalThing. (#$intersectsIntervalType X Y) indicates that every instance of X #$temporallyIntersects some instance Y. For example (#$intersectsIntervalType #$January #$Wednesday) means that every January overlaps some Wednesday.This relation, #$intersectsIntervalType, is neither commutative -- (#$intersectsIntervalType #$January #$Wednesday) but not (#$intersectsIntervalType #$Wednesday #$January) -- nor transitive -- both (#$intersectsIntervalType #$CalendarSummer #$June) and (#$intersectsIntervalType #$June #$CalendarSpring) may be true even though (#$intersectsIntervalType #$CalendarSummer #$CalendarSpring) is not true.
guid: be010f3c-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$TemporalPredicate #$RuleMacroPredicate #$ReflexiveBinaryPredicate

Functions Which Return Time Intervals


#$STIF   soon    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
(#$STIF X) returns the `Short Time Interval Following' X. (#$STIF FOO) does not include the time point (#$EndFn FOO), but does include every time point in between (#$EndFn FOO) and (#$EndFn (#$STIF FOO)). The function #$STIF is used to state axioms which assert propositions about the world just after some #$TemporalThing (i.e., after an event ends, after a tangible object ceases to exist, etc.). Each of those propositions may or may not hold beyond the bounds of that short interval. Consider the axiom `after swimming, the swimmer is wet'. The swimmer is only known to be wet for a short time interval immediately following the swimming event, and so we use #$STIF to specify that short time interval in which the assertion of wetness will hold. Beyond that time, additional axioms would be required to decide whether the wetness would persist or not. Also see: #$STIB.
guid: bd5880fd-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$ReifiableFunction #$IndividualDenotingFunction #$UnaryFunction #$Individual
#$STIB   s t i b    **COMMENT NOT REVIEWED**    **GAFs NOT REVIEWED**
An instance of #$IndividualDenotingFunction. When applied to an instance THING of #$TemporalThing, #$STIB returns the `Short Time Interval Before' THING. (#$STIB THING) does not include the time point (#$StartFn THING), but does include every time point in between (#$StartFn THING) and (#$StartFn (#$STIB THING)). The function #$STIB is used to state axioms which assert propositions about the world just before some #$TemporalThing. E.g., just before some event begins, or just before some tangible object comes into being. Whether the propositions hold beyond the bounds of the short interval specified depends the nature of the proposition. Consider the axiom `before launching, the Space Shuttle's fuel tanks are full'. The fuel tanks are only known to be full immediately before the launching event, and for some (measurable but potentially short) time interval before that launch, and so we use #$STIB to specify the time interval in which the assertion of fullness will hold. Before or after that time, additional axioms are required to conclude whether the tanks are full or not. Also see: #$STIF.
guid: bd5880fc-9c29-11b1-9dad-c379636f7270
direct instance of: #$IndividualDenotingFunction #$UnaryFunction #$ReifiableFunction #$Individual
#$TimeIntervalBetweenFn   time interval between fn
An instance of #$IndividualDenotingFunction. #$TimeIntervalBetweenFn takes two instances of #$TemporalThing as its arguments and returns an instance of #$TimeInterval. (#$TimeIntervalBetweenFn BEFORE AFTER) is the time interval between, but not including, the #$TemporalThings BEFORE and AFTER. It must be true that AFTER starts after BEFORE ends; i.e., (#$startsAfterEndingOf AFTER BEFORE). Also, the interval between AFTER and BEFORE should not be empty. Finally, every interval returned by #$TimeIntervalBetweenFn is #$temporallyContinuous (q.v.). See also #$TimeIntervalInclusiveFn, a function that returns a time interval that includes the defining temporal things.
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direct instance of: #$BinaryFunction #$IndividualDenotingFunction #$ReifiableFunction #$Individual
#$IntervalBeforeFn   interval before fn
An instance of #$IndividualDenotingFunction. When applied to an instance THING of #$TemporalThing and an instance DURATION of #$Time-Quantity, #$IntervalBeforeFn returns the interval of time (an instance of #$TimeInterval) of duration DURATION (see the predicate #$duration) immediately preceding the start of THING (so that (#$contiguousAfter THING (#$IntervalBeforeFn THING DURATION)) holds).
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