A boxology is a representation of an organized structure as a
graph
Graph may refer to:
Mathematics
*Graph (discrete mathematics), a structure made of vertices and edges
**Graph theory, the study of such graphs and their properties
*Graph (topology), a topological space resembling a graph in the sense of discret ...
of labeled nodes ("
boxes") and connections between them (as
lines or
arrows). The concept is useful because many problems in systems design are reducible to modular "black boxes" and connections or flow channels between them. The term is somewhat tongue-in-cheek and refers to the generic nature of diagrams containing labelled nodes and (sometimes directed) paths between them.
The archetypical example of a boxology is a corporate
"org chart", which describes lines of control through the corporation. Other boxologies include programming
flow chart
A flowchart is a type of diagram that represents a workflow or process. A flowchart can also be defined as a diagrammatic representation of an algorithm, a step-by-step approach to solving a task.
The flowchart shows the steps as boxes of va ...
s,
[
Terence Horgan; Terry Horgan; John Tienson]
"Connectionism and the Philosophy of Psychology"
1996.
p. 22.
quote: "In terms of familiar flow-chart analyses ("boxology", as Cummins (1983) puts it), one adds a lower sublevel by adding more interconnected boxes ... either between existing boxes or within them."
system-level
circuit diagram
A circuit diagram (or: wiring diagram, electrical diagram, elementary diagram, electronic schematic) is a graphical representation of an Electrical network, electrical circuit. A pictorial circuit diagram uses simple images of components, whil ...
s for designing large complex circuits, and even economic models.
Feynman diagrams
In theoretical physics, a Feynman diagram is a pictorial representation of the mathematical expressions describing the behavior and interaction of subatomic particles. The scheme is named after American physicist Richard Feynman, who introduced ...
are useful because they reduce the complicated
mathematics
Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...
of
quantum mechanics
Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical Scientific theory, theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms. Reprinted, Addison-Wesley, 1989, It is ...
to a simple boxology of particle interactions.
Depending on application, the boxes are optional; for example, the global
carbon cycle
The carbon cycle is a part of the biogeochemical cycle where carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, pedosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere of Earth. Other major biogeochemical cycles include the nitrogen cycle and the water cycl ...
is modeled as a boxology, but many figures explaining the model include only labels and directed connections.
References
Diagrams