Since I suggested that anybody who is trying to define anything should check the definitions in a good dictionary, I decided to take my own advice. See the attached defs.htm for definitions of the words 'diagram' and 'structure' in the American Heritage Dictionary and the Merriam Webster Dictionary. In general, I have found the American Heritage definitions and etymologies very good. They are usually clearer and more precise than the definitions in other dictionaries. But it's always useful to get a second or third opinion.
An important distinction: A structure is a pattern in an entity of some kind. A diagram is a pattern that somebody draws or imagines as a representation or explanation of a pattern that somebody observed of found in some structure. Therefore, a diagram would be more likely to be the kind of pattern that some human or animal or computer would be likely to use to support reasoning or computation about a pattern of any kind. John
Definition of diagram
From American Heritage Dictionary:
- A plan, sketch, drawing, or outline designed to demonstrate or explain how something works or to clarify the relationship between the parts of a whole.
- A graphic representation of an algebraic or geometric relationship.
- A chart or graph.
From Merriam Webster Dictionary:
- A graphic design that explains rather than represents; especially a drawing that shows arrangement and relations (as of parts).
- a line drawing made for mathematical or scientific purposes.
Definition of structure
From American Heritage Dictionary:
- Something made up of a number of parts that are held or put together in a particular way.
- The way in which parts are arranged or put together to form a whole; makeup.
- The interrelation or arrangement of parts in a complex entity.
From Merriam Webster Dictionary:
- The action of building; construction.
- Something (such as a building) that is constructed.
- Something arranged in a definite pattern of organization; leaves and other plant structures.
- Manner of construction; makeup.
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