Editing Modularity (section)

==Contextual nuances==
The meaning of the word "modularity" can vary somewhat based on context. The following are contextual examples of modularity across several fields of science, technology, industry, and culture:

===Science===
*In biology, modularity recognizes that [[#Modularity in biology|organisms or metabolic pathways are composed of modules]].
*In ecology, modularity is considered a key factor—along with diversity and feedback—in supporting [[Resilience (ecology)|resilience]].
*In nature, modularity may refer to the construction of a cellular organism by joining together standardized units to form larger compositions, as for example, the hexagonal cells in a [[honeycomb]].
*In cognitive science, the idea of [[modularity of mind]] holds that the mind is composed of independent, closed, domain-specific processing modules.
**[[Visual modularity]], the various putative visual modules.
**[[Language module]], the putative language module.
*In the study of complex networks, [[modularity (networks)|modularity]] is a benefit function that measures the quality of a division of a network into groups or communities.

===Technology===
*In [[modular programming]], modularity refers to the compartmentalization and interrelation of the parts of a software package.
*In [[software design]], modularity refers to a logical partitioning of the "software design" that allows complex software to be manageable for the purpose of implementation and maintenance. The logic of partitioning may be based on related functions, implementation considerations, data links, or other criteria.
*In [[self-reconfiguring modular robot]]ics, modularity refers to the ability of the robotic system to automatically achieve different morphologies to execute the task at hand.

===Industry===
*In [[modular construction]], modules are a bundle of redundant project components that are produced en masse prior to installation.Building components are often arranged into modules in the industrialization of construction.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Industrialization of Construction-A Lean Modular Approach|url=https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1001049/FULLTEXT01.pdf|journal=Industrialization of Construction-A Lean Modular Approach}}</ref>
*In [[industrial design]], modularity refers to an engineering technique that builds larger systems by combining smaller subsystems.
*In manufacturing, modularity typically refers to [[modular design]], either as the use of exchangeable parts or options in the fabrication of an object or the design and manufacture of modular components.
*In [[organizational design]], [[Richard L. Daft]] and Arie Y. Lewin (1993) identified a paradigm called "modular organization" that had as its ground the need for flexible learning organizations in constant change and the need to solve their problems through coordinated self-organizing processes. This modular organization is characterized by decentralized decision-making, flatter hierarchies, [[self-organization]] of units.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Campagnolo|first1=Diego|last2=Camuffo|first2=Arnaldo|date=2010|title=The Concept of Modularity in Management Studies: A Literature Review|journal=International Journal of Management Reviews|language=en|volume=12|issue=3|pages=259–283|doi=10.1111/j.1468-2370.2009.00260.x|s2cid=145557344 |issn=1468-2370}}</ref>

===Culture===
*In ''The Language of New Media'', author [[Lev Manovich]] discusses the principle that [[new media]] is composed of modules or self-sufficient parts of the overall media object.
*In [[contemporary art]] and [[contemporary architecture|architecture]], modularity can refer to the construction of an object by joining together standardized units to form larger compositions, and/or to the use of a module as a standardized unit of measurement and proportion.
*In [[modular art]], modularity refers to the ability to alter the work by reconfiguring, adding to, and/or removing its parts.