@Override
  SortedMap<K, V> create(Object... elements);

  /**
   * Returns an entry with a key less than the keys of the {@link #samples()} and less than the key
   * of {@link #belowSamplesGreater()}.
   */
  Entry<K, V> belowSamplesLesser();

  /**
   * Returns an entry with a key less than the keys of the {@link #samples()} but greater than the
   * key of {@link #belowSamplesLesser()}.
   */

   * @throws ArithmeticException if
   *     <ul>
   *       <li>{@code x} is infinite or NaN
   *       <li>{@code x}, after being rounded to a mathematical integer using the specified rounding
   *           mode, is either less than {@code Integer.MIN_VALUE} or greater than {@code
   *           Integer.MAX_VALUE}
   *       <li>{@code x} is not a mathematical integer and {@code mode} is {@link
   *           RoundingMode#UNNECESSARY}
   *     </ul>

     * In that explanation's notation, our `overlap` check would be `x1 < y2 && y1 < x2`. We've
     * flipped one part of the check so that we're using "less than" in both cases (rather than a
     * mix of "less than" and "greater than"). We've also switched to "strictly less than" rather
     * than "less than or equal to" because of *handwave* the difference between "endpoints of
     * inclusive ranges" and "Cuts."
     */

   * @param value any value in the range of the {@code byte} type
   * @return the {@code byte} value that equals {@code value}
   * @throws IllegalArgumentException if {@code value} is greater than {@link Byte#MAX_VALUE} or
   *     less than {@link Byte#MIN_VALUE}
   */
  public static byte checkedCast(long value) {
    byte result = (byte) value;
    checkArgument(result == value, "Out of range: %s", value);
    return result;
  }

  /**

   * @return the {@code short} value that equals {@code value}
   * @throws IllegalArgumentException if {@code value} is greater than {@link Short#MAX_VALUE} or
   *     less than {@link Short#MIN_VALUE}
   */
  public static short checkedCast(long value) {
    short result = (short) value;
    checkArgument(result == value, "Out of range: %s", value);
    return result;
  }

  /**

  @Override
  public int compare(Object left, Object right) {
    return left.toString().compareTo(right.toString());
  }

  // preserve singleton-ness, so equals() and hashCode() work correctly
  private Object readResolve() {
    return INSTANCE;
  }

  @Override
  public String toString() {
    return "Ordering.usingToString()";
  }

   *
   * @param a the first unsigned {@code long} to compare
   * @param b the second unsigned {@code long} to compare
   * @return a negative value if {@code a} is less than {@code b}; a positive value if {@code a} is
   *     greater than {@code b}; or zero if they are equal
   */
  public static int compare(long a, long b) {
    return Longs.compare(flip(a), flip(b));
  }

  /**

   * world. Figure out what sort of space-time tradeoff we're actually going to get here with the
   * *Map variants. This class is particularly hard to benchmark, because the benefit is not only in
   * less allocation, but also having the GC do less work to scan the heap because of fewer
   * references, which is particularly hard to quantify.
   */

  /** Creates an empty {@code CompactHashMap} instance. */

   * part of the smeared hash of the element not covered by the hashtable mask, whereas the low bits
   * are the "next" pointer (pointing to the next entry in the bucket chain), which will always be
   * less than or equal to the hashtable mask.
   *
   * <pre>
   * hash  = aaaaaaaa
   * mask  = 00000fff
   * next  = 00000bbb
   * entry = aaaaabbb
   * </pre>
   *

   * Long#compare} method instead.
   *
   * @param a the first {@code long} to compare
   * @param b the second {@code long} to compare
   * @return a negative value if {@code a} is less than {@code b}; a positive value if {@code a} is
   *     greater than {@code b}; or zero if they are equal
   */
  public static int compare(long a, long b) {
    return (a < b) ? -1 : ((a > b) ? 1 : 0);
  }

  /**