What is Structures: Definition and 350 Discussions

A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as biological organisms, minerals and chemicals. Abstract structures include data structures in computer science and musical form. Types of structure include a hierarchy (a cascade of one-to-many relationships), a network featuring many-to-many links, or a lattice featuring connections between components that are neighbors in space.

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  1. marellasunny

    Schrodinger's Cat, Structures and the Observer Effect

    I am not a theoretical physicist but I have heard of Schrodinger's cat. It is a fact that stresses and strains measured along a structure are directional i.e the stresses and strains vary according to the direction you orient your strain gauge in. Does this have any connection with the 'observer...
  2. S

    Why do different dimensions have different numbers of differential structures?

    On all manifolds dimension 1-3, there is only one differential structure per manifold, yet in higher dimensions it seems to follow no pattern. Is there a physical reason why you can construct a certain number on any given dimension? Also, what is it about dimension 4 that is so strange? Using...
  3. Fb.Researcher

    Segmentation fault (core dumped) C error for structures

    I have written a C program that produce a structure, give it's elements their initial values and change these values when neccessary.I can compile my program but when I try to run it,error:"segmentation fault(core dumped)" appears.I commented different parts of my program and I underentood the...
  4. K

    Is COT3100 (Computational Structures) suitable for beginners in programming?

    Would I be in over my head taking COT3100 (Computational Structures) before taking COP2220 (Computer Science I)? Here are the catalog entries for both: COT3100: Prerequisite: MAC 2311 (Calc I) or MAC 2233. Applications of finite mathematics to CIS. Sets, relations, functions, and number...
  5. phoenixthoth

    How to amalgamate a family of structures?

    How to "amalgamate" a family of structures? Given a collection of structures all using the same language, is there a way to come up with a structure C such that each given structure is, in any sense, a "subobject" of C? Right now I'm looking at coproducts to see if that will help. Please...
  6. M

    Conditions necessary to form the first and simplest structures

    "In the minutes following the explosion, protons and neutrons collided in nuclear fusion reactions to form hydrogen and helium." I found this bit of text in an article...and it got me thinking. What were the conditions the first atoms formed? Further more..what were the conditions that...
  7. A

    Windturbine-type structures on moving vehicles?

    why don't we see wind harnessing structures (like tiny fan-like structures) mounted on vehicles to capture the relative motion of the wind against the moving vehicle? I had one guess that mounting such structures would increase the surface area of the vehicle and thus the air drag acting on it...
  8. H

    Math Structures: Proving Existence w/ Accurate Solutions?

    Hey guys, let's say I were to define a new mathematical object, a novel type of number for example, and I am trying to determine its various properties (arithmetic, exponential, logarithmic, etc). Now, let's say I am able to use these numbers to produce solutions that agree with expected...
  9. D

    Crystal structures of elements

    Hi, suppose I want to look up the crystal structure of a pure element (for example, the structure of pure Tellurium), is there an online database or reference to easily find this information? Thanks.
  10. M

    Book on Data Structures for beginners

    I am an undergraduate student studying Computer science and engineering (2nd yr). I have studied the basics of C programming and have started studying data structures. But I find it oddly difficult to get hold of a good book that explains basics and the algorithms used for various data...
  11. A

    C tower of hanoi - Stack Implementation using structures .

    I've written a code for the problem but I'm contantly getting segmentation fault, core dump error, kindly help. I'm using gcc from ubuntu 12.04, Here is my code... #include<stdio.h> //#include<conio.h> #include<stdlib.h> struct node { int ind; int ele; struct node *next...
  12. D

    Normal Mode Analysis at non-equilbrium structures

    Hello, My question stems from a research project of mine involving taking the normal modes of clusters of molecules from a potential. I was curious of the interpretation that can be made of normal mode vectors at a non-equilibrium structure, i.e something following a MD trajectory beginning at...
  13. D

    Normal Mode Analysis at non-equilbrium structures

    Hello, My question stems from a research project of mine involving taking the normal modes of clusters of molecules from a potential. I was curious of the interpretation that can be made of normal mode vectors at a non-equilibrium structure, i.e something following a MD trajectory beginning at...
  14. G

    Hyper-complex Structures

    Given a real vector space, I understand the significance of defining a complex structure. Now, if J is a complex structure on a real vector space, and we find an anti-commuting complex structure I, so that we have I, J, and K=IJ, what are some interesting properties that we have now on our...
  15. J

    Help in locating this oustanding beginners book on algebraic structures?

    I'm posting this question here because I recall a certain book as being an outstanding introducton to algebraic structures and therefore worth knowing about in 2012. The problem is that I borrowed it from a library in the early 1990s and I can't remember it's name! Here's what I remember...
  16. G

    Finding Anti-commuting Complex structures

    Say we complex structure J on a space with even dimension. Is there a trick to finding another complex stucture I that anti-commutes with J? Moreover I'm that these be integrable complex structres. Any ideas?
  17. K

    Complex Linear Brackets and Integrable Structures.

    Homework Statement Let (M,J) be an almost complex manifold and [.,.] be the commutator bracket on vector fields. Show that if the map v \mapsto [v,w] is complex linear then J is integrable. The Attempt at a Solution This question essentially just boils down to showing that the...
  18. N

    Resonance structures you don't see

    Hello! I have silly question on resonance, it's so silly, I couldn't find an answer: Lets say there is a O=CR-CH=CH2 bonding in a molecule, R = some other group. You can get (I have put the charges in brackets and Superposition (I think that's what its called): (1-)O-C=C-C(1+) (ignoring...
  19. phoenixthoth

    What is the coproduct of structures?

    Suppose S is a family of L-structures where L is some collection of constant symbols, relation symbols, and function symbols. Does the coproduct of elements of S exist? If not, how does one prove it? If yes, how is the coproduct defined? Are the maps from elements of S to the coproduct all...
  20. N

    How to prove two binary structures are not isomorphic

    Homework Statement Let * be the binary operation defined on Z by m*n= the smaller of m and n, if m =/= n, or m or n, if m=n. Show that the binary structures <Z, +> and <Z,*> are not isomorphic. The Attempt at a Solution Proof by contradiction: Let F be a map from <Z,+>...
  21. xortan

    Structures, Functions, and PointersOh my

    Here is some code: typedef struct ExpandedTime { int et_usec; int et_sec; int et_min; int et_hour; } ExpandedTime* localTime(ExpandedTime* etime); Apparently the ExpandedTime* localTime(ExpandedTime* etime) is a function called localTime() that takes a pointer to an...
  22. M

    Phase-space structures in plasma turbulence

    Here is a glimpse of my current research. This is a kinetic simulation of electrostatic waves in a bump-on-tail plasma, with multiple resonances and some dissipation. Quasi-linear theory predicts a flattening of the velocity distribution over the range of resonant velocities of linearly unstable...
  23. S

    Comp Sci Data Structures & Algorithms in JAVA: Graphics using JFrame

    Homework Statement This assignment handles topics of events and GUI-elements. It's a little game. The task: create a window with a button that randomly relocates to a different position on the screen each time it is hit. The player has to hit the button 10 times, the score is the time needed...
  24. J

    Drawing 2D Velocity Structures?

    Drawing 2D Velocity Structures? Homework Statement I need some help in drawing structures such as velocity of the plane relative to the air, velocity of the plane relative to the ground, and velocity of the air relative to the ground. Please give me some tips on how to drawing these, thanks!
  25. C

    Problem with pointer and structures in C

    I'm trying to point to the data in struct ele709_record john_doe into the total_mark function. But it's not working, the value returned is not the same as in struct. #include <stdio.h> struct lab { double experiment1; double experiment2; double experiment3; }; struct theory{...
  26. S

    Courses Is Data Structures course old school?

    Hello. I am an EE student with two semester left. I can optionally take a course on Data Structures from the CS department this next semester but am unsure if the material is old school or is still relevant today. The course covers the following topics with programming assignments in C...
  27. K

    Waves in periodic structures - Coupling of evanescent waves to propagating waves

    Hi, On a surface evanescent waves are created when total internal reflection occurs. However when this surface has periodic structures of appropriate periodicity (gratings, photonic crystals) the evanescent waves are "freed" from the surface and they propagate to the surrounding media. I am...
  28. K

    Waves in periodic structures - Coupling of evanescent waves to propagating waves

    Hi, On a surface evanescent waves are created when total internal reflection occurs. However when this surface has periodic structures of appropriate periodicity (gratings, photonic crystals) the evanescent waves are "freed" from the surface and they propagate to the surrounding media. I am...
  29. S

    Misc. Create Steel Art: Smiley Faces to Complex Structures

    Anyone? Anything? Even if I'm making little smiley faces on graphite? I'd love to make something that's more complex using steel, even if I have to stitch it together atom by atom.
  30. A

    Mathematical objects, structures and spaces

    What are they, how are they visualized? Is it like how basic equations when plotted form a shape (e.g. circle) but much more complex? When I think of the those words, I think of some sort of weird/cool looking shape.
  31. B

    Algebraic Structures, interpreting question

    Homework Statement Prove that if gcd(a,b)=1 then N\ S(a,b) is a finite set. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I'm new to set theory and this question is from a voluntary course that don't give any credit. I'm not sure how to start off here. What does the S(a,b)...
  32. N

    Carbon Monoxide: four resonance structures?

    Hello! I was looking at the Water Gas Shift Reaction and I was interested to know why it is exothermic. Since it involves carbon monoxide, I looked at the resonance structures for CO, and found three, see the wiki article here...
  33. C

    MATLAB Matlab: Problem with structures

    Hi All, I've written some code in Matlab that calculates a number of parameters and saves the data to a structure. A portion of the code is shown below: uniqueName = genvarname(date); plant(id).(uniqueName) = {date avgHeight avgVol}; . The various parameters such as avgHeight etc. are...
  34. N

    Lattice length for Zincblende structures

    So we have the covalent Radii of Ga = 1.26 A and As = 1.19 A. And the structure is Zinc blende with arsenic occupying half of the tetrahedral sites. So its probably not close packed... The formula the works for me is, [4/sqrt(3)] x [ radius of Ga + radius of As ]. I can get the answer ( 5.66...
  35. T

    Structures Practise Paper Question

    The problem has been highlighted in the attached picture, it's an old exam paper question and I've been trying to do it in preparation for a university exam. I am confident in modelling the structure (into both shear panels and edge members), and confident that I am able to identify both...
  36. A

    Structures (Civil Engineering) - Help with Planar Truss and Stress Analysis

    Structures (civ Eng) urgent help Hello, I've got two resit exams coming up in over a week for Civil engineering first year structures 1a and 1b. I've been attempting several past papers and there were some questions I desperately need help with. I'm not sure if this is exactly the...
  37. F

    Sets and Algebraic Structures, help with equivalence relations

    Let Q be the group of rational numbers with respect to addition. We define a relation R on Q via aRb if and only if a − b is an even integer. Prove that this is an equivalence relation. I am very stumped with this and would welcome any help Thank you
  38. pairofstrings

    C/C++ What is the purpose of data structures in C and C++?

    What is data structures in C and C++ all about? I heard that data structures are useful in constructing menu items of any software's menu bar. Is it true? Please tell me more examples of the applications of data structures in real life. Thanks.
  39. T

    Analysis of Structures (Method of Sections)

    Homework Statement Using the method of sections, determine the force in members BD, CD, and CE of the roof truss shown in the figure (the red line is the cutting plane and the green arrows are my assumed directions of the unknown forces) Homework Equations summation of moments=0...
  40. pairofstrings

    Java Comparing Java and C/C++ for Data Structures

    Which is better Java or C/C++ with data structures and why?
  41. Femme_physics

    What does these structures do? (pistons with linear and circular motion)

    I always see them in my dynamics problem but I never understand what are they used for, typically? Just to get some sort of perspective on the thing. It's supposed to be a rod connected to two pistons moving with linear and circular motion...
  42. S

    Help understanding statically determinate/indeterminate structures

    hi! i have a bunch of questions where I'm suppose to indicate if a structure is statically determinate i have way to do this that usually gives me a decent answer. i go with r > 3n means it's indeterminate, and r = 3n means it's determinate. r represents reaction forces, and n represents...
  43. E

    Comparing Structures of Democratic and Non-Democratic Governments

    QUESTION: " Political and legal systems are often labelled as either being 'democratic' or 'non-democratic'. Compare the structures of such systems. " HOW?: I look at this question and not know exactly what I am looking for. What exactly is a structure of democratic and non-democratic...
  44. S

    Exploring Structures: Reconciling Concepts and Questions in Logic

    Every so often I return to the idea of structures as used in logic & clean up my ideas about them, here is my latest attempt, four questions based on the short summary below, would really appreciate any help from you guys. A structure is a triple of the form = (F, σ, I). F is a set of...
  45. B

    Relation between entropy, order and structures

    Hi everyone. I'm very interested in how order and structures arises in the universe, but I don't get how thermodynamics (which seem to be closely linked to order, especially the second law) relates to that... So I will ask a few questions. Please don't be too technical, I study computer...
  46. W

    Discrete Structures Question on a Relation

    Homework Statement Let A be the set of all strings of a's and b's of length 4. Define a relation R on A as follows. For all s,t \in A, sRt, s has the same first two characters as t. s=baaa t=abaa Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I just want to know if the order of the first two...
  47. G

    Types and structures of capacitors

    I have a question that is asking me to draw a diagram and explain the structure of different types of capacitors. I am actually not sure what they're referring to. Do you think they might be referring to types of capacitors like: Ceramic capacitor, mica capacitor, Electrolytic capacitor. The...
  48. R

    Miller Indexing crystal structures

    Hello, I have a TEM diffraction pattern of an unknown compound. I have obtained the camera constant and hence measured the lattice constants. Unfortunately I was unable to do EDX analysis of the area and have ~10 possible elements present. So I need to index the miller indices to obtain the...
  49. P

    Plasticity Q for complex structures

    Homework Statement I have attached a jpeg of the question invloved. Involving finding shap factors for both the T and the sqaure piece. Homework Equations Due to illness i missed the lecture for this topic and as such i am missing the relevant equations on how to attempt this. If...
  50. C

    Hydrocarbons have different structures but the same atoms

    Homework Statement The following hydrocarbons have different structures but the same atoms except for one. Which of them is this exception and what is the difference? a)cyclobutane b)1-butene c)2-butene d)cyclobutene e)methylcyclopropane Homework Equations Which of them is this...
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