Improve select_nth_unstable documentation clarity

* Instead uses `before` and `after` variable names in the example
where `greater` and `lesser` are flipped.

* Uses `<=` and `>=` instead of "less than or equal to" and "greater
than or equal to" to make the docs more concise.

* General attempt to remove unnecessary words and be more precise. For
example it seems slightly wrong to say "its final sorted position",
since this implies there is only one sorted position for this element.

Author: mgsloan

library/core/src/slice/mod.rs

@@ -3069,19 +3069,18 @@ impl<T> [T] {
         sort::unstable::sort(self, &mut |a, b| f(a).lt(&f(b)));
     }
 
-    /// Reorders the slice such that the element at `index` after the reordering is at its final
-    /// sorted position.
+    /// Reorders the slice such that the element at `index` is at a sort-order position. All
+    /// elements before `index` will then be `<=` this value, and all elements after will be `>=`.
     ///
-    /// This reordering has the additional property that any value at position `i < index` will be
-    /// less than or equal to any value at a position `j > index`. Additionally, this reordering is
-    /// unstable (i.e. any number of equal elements may end up at position `index`), in-place (i.e.
-    /// does not allocate), and runs in *O*(*n*) time. This function is also known as "kth element"
-    /// in other libraries.
+    /// This reordering is unstable (i.e. any element that compares equal to the nth element may end
+    /// up at that position), in-place (i.e.  does not allocate), and runs in *O*(*n*) time. This
+    /// function is also known as "kth element" in other libraries.
+    ///
+    /// Returns a triple partitioning the reordered slice:
     ///
-    /// It returns a triplet of the following from the reordered slice: the subslice prior to
-    /// `index`, the element at `index`, and the subslice after `index`; accordingly, the values in
-    /// those two subslices will respectively all be less-than-or-equal-to and
-    /// greater-than-or-equal-to the value of the element at `index`.
+    /// * The unsorted subslice before `index` (elements all pass `x <= self[index]`)
+    /// * The element at `index`
+    /// * The unsorted subslice after `index` (elements all pass `x >= self[index]`)
     ///
     /// # Current implementation
     ///
@@ -3094,7 +3093,7 @@ impl<T> [T] {
     ///
     /// # Panics
     ///
-    /// Panics when `index >= len()`, meaning it always panics on empty slices.
+    /// Panics when `index >= len()`, and so always panics on empty slices.
     ///
     /// May panic if the implementation of [`Ord`] for `T` does not implement a [total order].
     ///
@@ -3103,8 +3102,7 @@ impl<T> [T] {
     /// ```
     /// let mut v = [-5i32, 4, 2, -3, 1];
     ///
-    /// // Find the items less than or equal to the median, the median, and greater than or equal to
-    /// // the median.
+    /// // Find the items `<=` the median, the median, and `>=` the median.
     /// let (lesser, median, greater) = v.select_nth_unstable(2);
     ///
     /// assert!(lesser == [-3, -5] || lesser == [-5, -3]);
@@ -3130,19 +3128,19 @@ impl<T> [T] {
         sort::select::partition_at_index(self, index, T::lt)
     }
 
-    /// Reorders the slice with a comparator function such that the element at `index` after the
-    /// reordering is at its final sorted position.
+    /// Reorders the slice with a comparator function such that the element at `index` is at a
+    /// sort-order position. All elements before `index` will then be `<=` this value, and all
+    /// elements after will be `>=` according to the comparator function.
     ///
-    /// This reordering has the additional property that any value at position `i < index` will be
-    /// less than or equal to any value at a position `j > index` using the comparator function.
-    /// Additionally, this reordering is unstable (i.e. any number of equal elements may end up at
-    /// position `index`), in-place (i.e. does not allocate), and runs in *O*(*n*) time. This
+    /// This reordering is unstable (i.e. any element that compares equal to the nth element may end
+    /// up at that position), in-place (i.e.  does not allocate), and runs in *O*(*n*) time. This
     /// function is also known as "kth element" in other libraries.
     ///
-    /// It returns a triplet of the following from the slice reordered according to the provided
-    /// comparator function: the subslice prior to `index`, the element at `index`, and the subslice
-    /// after `index`; accordingly, the values in those two subslices will respectively all be
-    /// less-than-or-equal-to and greater-than-or-equal-to the value of the element at `index`.
+    /// Returns a triple partitioning the reordered slice:
+    ///
+    /// * The unsorted subslice before `index` (elements all pass `compare(x, self[index]).is_le()`)
+    /// * The element at `index`
+    /// * The unsorted subslice after `index` (elements all pass `compare(x, self[index]).is_ge()`)
     ///
     /// # Current implementation
     ///
@@ -3155,7 +3153,7 @@ impl<T> [T] {
     ///
     /// # Panics
     ///
-    /// Panics when `index >= len()`, meaning it always panics on empty slices.
+    /// Panics when `index >= len()`, and so always panics on empty slices.
     ///
     /// May panic if `compare` does not implement a [total order].
     ///
@@ -3164,13 +3162,13 @@ impl<T> [T] {
     /// ```
     /// let mut v = [-5i32, 4, 2, -3, 1];
     ///
-    /// // Find the items less than or equal to the median, the median, and greater than or equal to
-    /// // the median as if the slice were sorted in descending order.
-    /// let (lesser, median, greater) = v.select_nth_unstable_by(2, |a, b| b.cmp(a));
+    /// // Find the items `>=` the median, the median, and `<=` the median, by using a reversed
+    /// // comparator.
+    /// let (before, median, after) = v.select_nth_unstable_by(2, |a, b| b.cmp(a));
     ///
-    /// assert!(lesser == [4, 2] || lesser == [2, 4]);
+    /// assert!(before == [4, 2] || before == [2, 4]);
     /// assert_eq!(median, &mut 1);
-    /// assert!(greater == [-3, -5] || greater == [-5, -3]);
+    /// assert!(after == [-3, -5] || after == [-5, -3]);
     ///
     /// // We are only guaranteed the slice will be one of the following, based on the way we sort
     /// // about the specified index.
@@ -3195,19 +3193,20 @@ impl<T> [T] {
         sort::select::partition_at_index(self, index, |a: &T, b: &T| compare(a, b) == Less)
     }
 
-    /// Reorders the slice with a key extraction function such that the element at `index` after the
-    /// reordering is at its final sorted position.
+
+    /// Reorders the slice with a key extraction function such that the element at `index` is at a
+    /// sort-order position. All elements before `index` will have keys `<=` the key at `index`, and
+    /// all elements after will have keys `>=`.
     ///
-    /// This reordering has the additional property that any value at position `i < index` will be
-    /// less than or equal to any value at a position `j > index` using the key extraction function.
-    /// Additionally, this reordering is unstable (i.e. any number of equal elements may end up at
-    /// position `index`), in-place (i.e. does not allocate), and runs in *O*(*n*) time. This
+    /// This reordering is unstable (i.e. any element that compares equal to the nth element may end
+    /// up at that position), in-place (i.e.  does not allocate), and runs in *O*(*n*) time. This
     /// function is also known as "kth element" in other libraries.
     ///
-    /// It returns a triplet of the following from the slice reordered according to the provided key
-    /// extraction function: the subslice prior to `index`, the element at `index`, and the subslice
-    /// after `index`; accordingly, the values in those two subslices will respectively all be
-    /// less-than-or-equal-to and greater-than-or-equal-to the value of the element at `index`.
+    /// Returns a triple partitioning the reordered slice:
+    ///
+    /// * The unsorted subslice before `index` (elements all pass `f(x) <= f(self[index])`)
+    /// * The element at `index`
+    /// * The unsorted subslice after `index` (elements all pass `f(x) >= f(self[index])`)
     ///
     /// # Current implementation
     ///
@@ -3229,8 +3228,8 @@ impl<T> [T] {
     /// ```
     /// let mut v = [-5i32, 4, 1, -3, 2];
     ///
-    /// // Find the items less than or equal to the median, the median, and greater than or equal to
-    /// // the median as if the slice were sorted according to absolute value.
+    /// // Find the items <= the median absolute value, the median absolute value, and >= the median
+    /// // absolute value.
     /// let (lesser, median, greater) = v.select_nth_unstable_by_key(2, |a| a.abs());
     ///
     /// assert!(lesser == [1, 2] || lesser == [2, 1]);