topology

/təˈpɑlədʒi/

Topology is a kind of math — it's the study of shapes that can be stretched and moved while points on the shape continue to stay close to each other

In the branch of geometry known as topology, two objects are equivalent if you can make them resemble each other by stretching, bending, or twisting them. This makes sense if you imagine two rubber bands: you can manipulate them into squares or ovals, and they are still the same. In computer science, topology refers to the way elements of a network are arranged. And in the 1650s, topology was the study of "the location where plants are found."

Definitions of topology

1. noun

   topographic study of a given place (especially the history of the place as indicated by its topography)
   “Greenland's topology has been shaped by the glaciers of the ice age”

   type of:

   topography

   precise detailed study of the surface features of a region
2. noun

   the study of anatomy based on regions or divisions of the body and emphasizing the relations between various structures (muscles and nerves and arteries etc.) in that region
   synonyms: regional anatomy, topographic anatomy

   type of:

   anatomy, general anatomy

   the branch of morphology that deals with the structure of animals
3. noun

   the branch of pure mathematics that deals only with the properties of a figure X that hold for every figure into which X can be transformed with a one-to-one correspondence that is continuous in both directions
   synonyms: analysis situs

   type of:

   pure mathematics

   the branches of mathematics that study and develop the principles of mathematics for their own sake rather than for their immediate usefulness
4. noun

   the configuration of a communication network
   synonyms: network topology

   types:

   bus, bus topology

   the topology of a network whose components are connected by a busbar

   loop, loop topology

   the topology of a network whose components are serially connected in such a way that the last component is connected to the first component

   star, star topology

   the topology of a network whose components are connected to a hub

   mesh, mesh topology

   the topology of a network whose components are all connected directly to every other component

   physical topology

   the appearance of the network

   logical topology

   the way the network works

   type of:

   configuration, constellation

   an arrangement of parts or elements