Abstraction
Abstraction is a process of leaving out the details from observation and thoughts. It is essentially a selective focussing process.
There are various levels of abstraction. One can look at "forest" or an individual tree or an individual branch and so on. Thus one can zoom in and out.
The zoom depends on our ability to collect information or concentrate our focus. Powerful telescopes, which can collect hugh amount of signals over a wide area allows us to look at galaxies. Microscopes allows us to look at cell level details.
At a greater distance, we see container object by ignoring component objects. As we go near, components themselves look like container containing further subcomponents themselves.
Universe is the ultimate container. We still don't know what to call the ultimate component or element.
Zooming in and out is nothing but mathematical differentiation and integration.
The criteria of what should be our zoom in given circumstances is our Life. In order to prevent environmental catastrophes we need Satelites and Telescopes and to prevent diseases we need microscopes.
posted by Ashish @ Thursday, June 12, 2003
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