Editing Structure (section)

{{short description|Arrangement of interrelated elements in an object/system, or the object/system itself}}
{{other uses}}
[[File:DNA simple2.svg|thumb|upright|The structure of a [[DNA]] molecule is essential to its function.]]
A '''structure''' is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or [[system]], or the object or system so organized.<ref name=OED>{{cite encyclopedia |title=structure, n. |encyclopedia=Oxford English Dictionary |edition=Online |url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/191895?rskey=pTgPk1&result=1 |access-date=1 October 2015 |archive-date=14 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614043723/https://www.oed.com/dictionary/structure_n |url-status=live }}</ref> Material structures include man-made objects such as [[building]]s and [[machine]]s and natural objects such as [[organism|biological organisms]], [[mineral]]s and [[chemical substance|chemicals]]. Abstract structures include [[data structure]]s in [[computer science]] and [[musical form]]. Types of structure include a [[hierarchy]] (a cascade of one-to-many relationships), a [[Complex network|network]] featuring many-to-many [[Link (geometry)|link]]s, or a [[lattice (order)|lattice]] featuring connections between components that are neighbors in space.