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High- and low-level
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<h2 id="differences">Differences</h2> <p class="note">Main article: <a href="/facts/Emergence/zlFRW0oj">Emergence</a></p> <p>Due to the nature of <a href="/facts/Complex_systems/eGG3B1nn">complex systems</a>, the high-level description will often be completely different from the low-level one; and, therefore, the (different) descriptions that each deliver are consequent upon the level at which each (differently) direct their study. For example, </p> <ul><li>there are features of an <a href="/facts/Ant_colony/jw9KGsex">ant colony</a> that are not features of any individual <a href="/facts/Ant/CyxckAAE">ant</a>;</li> <li>there are features of the human <a href="/facts/Mind/Y5JhtFj4">mind</a> that are not known to be descriptive of individual <a href="/facts/Neuron/G7CyTVdH">neurons</a> in the <a href="/facts/Brain/EKla9NkJ">brain</a>;</li> <li>there are features of <a href="/facts/Ocean/8W8lYgjD">oceans</a> which are not features of any individual <a href="/facts/Water_molecule/FFsl65l1">water molecule</a>; and</li> <li>there are features of a human <a href="/facts/Personality/zdkhBU5V">personality</a> that are not features of any <a href="/facts/Cell_(biology)/bLM9UQvy">cell</a> in a body.</li></ul> <h2 id="uses">Uses</h2> <ul><li>In computer science, software is typically divided into two types: high-level end-user applications software (such as word processors, databases, video games, etc.), and low-level systems software (such as operating systems, hardware drivers, firmwares, etc.).As such, high-level applications typically rely on low-level applications to function.In terms of programming, a <a href="/facts/High-level_programming_language/smjECUhx">high-level programming language</a> is one which has a relatively high level of abstraction, and manipulates conceptual functions in a structured manner.A <a href="/facts/Low-level_programming_language/EEpKS6mb">low-level programming language</a> is one like <a href="/facts/Assembly_language/7XuV0cla">assembly language</a> that contains commands closer to <a href="/facts/Processor_(computing)/z3wPljrI">processor</a> <a href="/facts/Instruction_set_architecture/8p8vwUeE">instructions</a>.</li> <li>In <a href="/facts/Formal_methods/tw4FCWIb">formal methods</a>, a high-level <a href="/facts/Formal_specification/4q2oDkvS">formal specification</a> can be related to a low-level executable <a href="/facts/Implementation/IH1KXgP3">implementation</a> (e.g., formally by <a href="/facts/Mathematical_proof/7ECDrU80">mathematical proof</a> using <a href="/facts/Formal_verification/BYD4GnJR">formal verification</a> techniques).</li> <li>In <a href="/facts/Sociology/d2Fd0N87">sociology</a> and <a href="/facts/Social_anthropology/nl0lwHh8">social anthropology</a>, high-level descriptions would be terms like <a href="/facts/Economy/okLWSsEY">economy</a> and <a href="/facts/Politics/1gDNy3RP">political structure</a>, and low level descriptions would be individual peoples' motivations and work.</li> <li>In neuroscience, low-level would relate to the functioning of a cell (or part of a cell, or molecule) and high level to the overall function or activity of a neural system.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:1" href="#fn:1"><sup>1</sup></a></li> <li>In documentation, a <a href="/facts/High-level_document/Hwbu668e">high-level document</a> contains the <a href="/facts/Executive_summary/Fd5eXcAD">executive summary</a>, the <a href="/facts/Low-level_document/Hwbu668e">low-level documents</a> the technical specifications.</li> <li>In business, <a href="/facts/Corporate_strategy/b4kFnS66">corporate strategy</a> is a high-level description, a list of who does what jobs is a low-level description.</li></ul> <h2 id="examples">Examples</h2> <ul><li><i><a href="/facts/Climate/f57XrNFU">Climate</a></i> is a high-level description of the actions of the <a href="/facts/Atmosphere/oUpLaGRF">atmosphere</a> and <a href="/facts/Ocean/8W8lYgjD">oceans</a>. <a href="/facts/Physics/a7aH2y08">Physics</a> of <a href="/facts/Water/0lkXnJPK">water</a> and <a href="/facts/Gas/hVVAoodV">gas</a> molecules is a low-level description of the same system.</li> <li>The instruction "write a creative poem on love" is a high-level instruction. The instruction "tighten the <a href="/facts/Tendon/M0Kdf7Fy">tendons</a> in the <a href="/facts/Handedness/wb7Urd7u">dominant</a> <a href="/facts/Wrist/scSMl0zG">wrist</a> to grip the <a href="/facts/Pen/FjenrQuh">pen</a>" is a low-level description of an activity within that.</li> <li><i>"Wikipedia is an encyclopedia"</i> is a high-level description compared to <i>"Wikipedia is a collection of textual articles on many topics"</i>. The former reflects a higher level view of organization, purpose, concept and structure, but does not explain what Wikipedia physically <i>is</i>. The latter is more detailed as to what exactly Wikipedia contains and how it's made up, but doesn't explain what its overall purpose and goals are. These are typical features of high-level and low-level descriptions, respectively.</li> <li>As a more general matter, encyclopedias, such as Wikipedia, can be considered a more high-level source of <a href="/facts/Information/3LdrzXtJ">information</a> on a particular topic than one might find in, for example, a <a href="/facts/Trade_magazine/sxEkWnxx">trade magazine</a> or a <a href="/facts/Scientific_journal/A4Slzknw">scientific journal</a>.</li></ul> <h2 id="see-also">See also</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Granularity/kBqMRzaj">Granularity</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Intentional_stance/UcHPzcY0">Dennett's three stances</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Level_of_analysis/Xk66HjwW">Level of analysis</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Meta-system/mDtBPemI">Meta-system</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Systems_theory/C56Ck7DQ">Systems theory</a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>Marr, David (1982). Vision: A Computational Investigation into the Human Representation and Processing of Visual Information. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Company. ISBN 0-7167-1284-9. <a href="0-7167-1284-9" target="_blank">0-7167-1284-9</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>