diff --git a/doc/lispref/numbers.texi b/doc/lispref/numbers.texi index e952980f26..c8941eab73 100644 --- a/doc/lispref/numbers.texi +++ b/doc/lispref/numbers.texi @@ -39,8 +39,8 @@ Integer Basics Under the hood, though, there are two kinds of integers: smaller ones, called @dfn{fixnums}, and larger ones, called @dfn{bignums}. Some functions in Emacs accept only fixnums. Also, while fixnums can -always be compared for numeric equality with @code{eq}, bignums -require more-heavyweight equality predicates like @code{eql}. +be compared for numeric equality with @code{eq}, bignums require +more-heavyweight equality predicates like @code{eql} and @code{=}. The range of values for bignums is limited by the amount of main memory, by machine characteristics such as the size of the word used diff --git a/doc/lispref/objects.texi b/doc/lispref/objects.texi index 4be2eb6918..1c4e7e4d4e 100644 --- a/doc/lispref/objects.texi +++ b/doc/lispref/objects.texi @@ -266,8 +266,8 @@ Integer Type Bignums can have arbitrary precision. Operations that overflow a fixnum will return a bignum instead. - Fixnums can be compared with @code{eq}, but bignums require -@code{eql} or @code{=}. To test whether an integer is a fixnum or a + All numbers can be compared with @code{eql} or @code{=}; fixnums can +also be compared with @code{eq}. To test whether an integer is a fixnum or a bignum, you can compare it to @code{most-negative-fixnum} and @code{most-positive-fixnum}, or you can use the convenience predicates @code{fixnump} and @code{bignump} on any object. @@ -2167,17 +2167,20 @@ Equality Predicates This function returns @code{t} if @var{object1} and @var{object2} are the same object, and @code{nil} otherwise. -If @var{object1} and @var{object2} are fixnums with the same value, -they are considered to be the same object (i.e., @code{eq} returns -@code{t}). If @var{object1} and @var{object2} are symbols with the +If @var{object1} and @var{object2} are symbols with the same name, they are normally the same object---but see @ref{Creating -Symbols} for exceptions. For other types (e.g., lists, vectors, +Symbols} for exceptions. For other non-numeric types (e.g., lists, vectors, strings), two arguments with the same contents or elements are not necessarily @code{eq} to each other: they are @code{eq} only if they are the same object, meaning that a change in the contents of one will be reflected by the same change in the contents of the other. -For other types of objects whose contents cannot be changed (e.g., -bignums and floats), two arguments with the same contents might or might not be + +If @var{object1} and @var{object2} are numbers with differing types or values, +then they cannot be the same object and @code{eq} returns @code{nil}. +If they are fixnums with the same value, +then they are the same object and @code{eq} returns @code{t}. +If they were computed separately but happen to have the same value +and the same non-fixnum numeric type, then they might or might not be the same object, and @code{eq} returns @code{t} or @code{nil} depending on whether the Lisp interpreter created one object or two. @@ -2188,26 +2191,25 @@ Equality Predicates @end group @group -(eq 456 456) +(eq ?A ?A) @result{} t @end group @group (eq 3.0 3.0) @result{} t @r{or} nil -;; @r{The result is implementation-dependent.} +;; @r{Equal floats may or may not be the same object.} @end group @group -(eq "asdf" "asdf") +(eq (make-string 3 ?A) (make-string 3 ?A)) @result{} nil @end group @group -(eq "" "") - @result{} t -;; @r{This exception occurs because Emacs Lisp} -;; @r{makes just one multibyte empty string, to save space.} +(eq "asdf" "asdf") + @result{} t @r{or} nil +;; @r{Equal string constants or may not be the same object.} @end group @group