Any generalization technique that ignores or hides details to capture some kind of commonality between different instances for the purpose of controlling the intellectual complexity of engineered systems, particularly software systems
is formation of an idea, as of the qualities or properties of a thing, by mental separation from particular instances or material objects In software visualisation, abstraction depends on ignoring some aspects of a program or algorithm being visualised, if they do not constitute an efficient means for algorithm understanding On the other hand, it also consists of introduction to the visualisation some elements, which are present neither in the executed program nor in its data, and are usually difficult or impossible to be deduced from them (so called intention content - see below)
The logical form which analogous things have in common Also, the process of identifying characteristics that distinguish a collection of similar objects
Abstraction means extracting the essential features of something without including unnecessary detail In the context of object oriented development, we design classes so that clients of a class do not need to know about the detailed implementation of the class Perfect supports this kind of abstraction in specifications as well as implementations Although it is sometimes possible to define a class adequately by its behaviour alone, more often it is necessary to have some model of the data stored by the class in order to understand what the class is for The class methods are specified in terms of this abstract data model (although naturally, clients of the class do not have direct access to it) This leaves the way open to refining the abstract data model to a more efficient implementation model
In programming design abstraction means hiding details so that only what is needed to use the software is shown Abstraction, information hiding, and encapsulation all mean the same thing
(v) the process of forming an abstract representation, usually hiding detail of the component, system or process not required for the purpose (n) the result of the process of abstraction
The essential characteristics of an entity that distinguish it from all other kind of entities An abstraction defines a boundary relative to the perspective of the viewer
A mental activity, an attitude of mind which affects primarily the entire life-attitude of the personality It involves not only the detachment from long habit, but it involves also a complete readjustment of the entire threefold person to the world of souls
(1) With respect to software, the conceptual difference between the physical reality of computer hardware and the abstract or logical view of that same hardware provided by system software and/or a programming language (2) With respect to computer system modeling, the process of selecting and representing computing resources and application demands within a model
(v) The process of separating the interface to some functionality from the underlying implementation in such a way that the implementation can be changed without changing the way that piece of code is used (n) The API (interface) for some piece of functionality that has been separated in this way
An intensional representation of a class, typically a description Abstractions always summarize, that is, they emphasize some properties and leave out other properties Omitted properties may be particular to members of the class but are not salient to defining the class
A simplified representation of something that is potentially quite complex It is often not necessary to know the exact details of how something works, is represented or is implemented, because we can still make use of it in its simplified form Object-oriented design often involves finding the right level of abstraction at which to work when modeling real-life objects If the level is too high, then not enough detail will be captured If the level is too low, then a program could be more complex and difficult to create and understand than it needs to be
is the act of abstracting, the separating from the concrete To derive To epitomize; to abridge, summarize, concentrate A brief statement of the chief points of a larger work; a condensed record or representation
Thus, when the mind considers the form of a tree by itself, or the color of the leaves as separate from their size or figure, the act is called abstraction
An abstraction is a general idea rather than one relating to a particular object, person, or situation. Is it worth fighting a big war, in the name of an abstraction like sovereignty?
a general concept formed by extracting common features from specific examples the act of withdrawing or removing something an abstract painting the process of formulating general concepts by abstracting common properties of instances a concept or idea not associated with any specific instance; "he loved her only in the abstract--not in person