Chronon

Synonyms

Instant; Moment; Time quantum; Time unit

Definition

A chronon is the smallest, discrete, non-decomposable unit of time in a temporal data model. In a one-dimensional model, a chronon is a time interval or period, while in an n-dimensional model it is a non-decomposable region in n-dimensional time. Important special types of chronons include valid-time, transaction-time, and bitemporal chronons.

Key Points

Data models often represent a time line by a sequence of non-decomposable, consecutive time periods of identical duration. These periods are termed chronons. A data model will typically leave the size of each particular chronon unspecified. The size (e.g., 1 μs) will be fixed later by an individual application or by a database management system, within the restrictions posed by the implementation of the data model. The number of chronons is finite in a bounded model (i.e., a model with a minimum and maximum chronon), or countably infinite otherwise. Consecutive chronons may...