The blank before var >0.5 cause error in R2016a

I found a strange behavior in R2016a command line. The additional blank before > cause problem:

>> aAreaVec = rand(5,1)

aAreaVec =

0.8147

0.9058

0.1270

0.9134

0.6324

>> aAreaVec>0.5

ans =

1

1

0

1

1

>> aAreaVec >0.5

Error: "aAreaVec" was previously used as a variable, conflicting with its use here as the name of a function or command.

See "How MATLAB Recognizes Command Syntax" in the MATLAB documentation for details.

Answer 1

[Walter Roberson]

You are running into Command Function Equivalence https://www.mathworks.com/help/matlab/matlab_prog/command-vs-function-syntax.html

aAreaVec>0.5

is parsed as a relational operator comparing aAreaVec and 0.5

aAreaVec >0.5

is parsed as a call to a function named aAreaVec with parameter '>0.5'

which fails because aAreaVec is known as a variable and so cannot also be a function call.

The correction is to either use

aAreaVec>0.5

or

aAreaVec > 0.5

or to not have the code as the first expression; for example it would work to use

disp(aAreaVec >0.5)

Answer 2

[Mathieu NOE]

I don't think it has to do with a specific release

I have the same result with R2020a

now either you put no space or at least one space before and after the <

in your case ( 1 space beore , none after) will throw an error