# Understanding the difference between != and not(=)¶

The two expressions:

1. a() != b()
2. not(a() = b())

look equivalent - so much so that inexperienced (and even experienced) programmers have been known to rewrite one as the other. However, they are not equivalent due to the quantifiers involved.

Thinking of a() and b() as sets of values, the first expression says that there is a pair of values (one from each side of the inequality) which are different.

Using !=

exists x, y | x in a() and y in b() | x != y


The second expression, however, says that it is not the case that there is a pair of values which are the same - that is, all pairs of values are different:

Using not(=)

not exists x, y | x in a() and y in b() | x = y


This is equivalent to: forall x, y | x in a() and y in b() | x != y. The meaning is very different from the first expression.

## Examples¶

a() = {1, 2} and b() = {1}:

1. a() != b() is true, because 2 != 1
2. a() = b() is true, because 1 = 1
3. Therefore: not(a() = b()) is false - a different answer from the comparison a() != b()

Similarly with a() = {} and b() = {1}:

1. a() != b() is false, because there is no value in a() that is not equal to 1
2. a() = b() is also false, because there is no value in a() that is equal to 1 either
3. Therefore: not(a() = b()) is true - again a different answer from the comparison a() != b()

In summary, the QL expressions a() != b() and not(a() = b()) may look similar, but their meaning is quite different.