# compare (relation)

to be a relation that identifies where two things differ or are alike

- Computed level: L9 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: language  ·  Arena: compare

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [difference](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-difference.relation), [like](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-like.similarity), [relation](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-relation.association)

**Through:** difference.relation and like.similarity operate within relation.association to enable a comparison between two things.

**Novel properties:**
- directional contrast
- relative positioning
- asymmetric insight

## Examples
- The Hubble Space Telescope's spectrographs compare starlight wavelengths to identify elemental composition of distant galaxies. *(astronomy)*
- In 1971, the Intel 4004 processor compared binary values using silicon-based logic gates to execute calculations. *(computing)*
- The 1869 Suez Canal enabled direct comparison of Indian Ocean and Mediterranean trade routes by cutting journey time by 40 days. *(economics)*

## Used by
- [analysis](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-analysis.method) (L10)
- [ratio](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-ratio.proportion) (L10)
- [regret](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-regret.emotional) (L16)
- [strain](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-strain.measurable-degradation) (L12)
- [test](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-test.assessment) (L10)
- [the compression claim](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-the-compression-claim.assertion) (L12)

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-compare.relation*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-compare.relation.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*