Abstract
This paper deals with commonsense understanding of part-whole relations. A unifying definition for the different kinds of parts is proposed for one domain, that of rigid, man-made objects. First, the representation of objects via basic dimensions, reference systems and attributes is described. Then, different kinds of parts, based on the classification of Gerstl and Pribbenow (1996), are examined. Several problems with the seemingly uncomplicated notion of “part” are discussed. Modifying the representation of objects makes it possible to give one single definition of “a part P of an object O”.
I wish to thank Emile van der Zee, Peter Gerstl, Eibo Thieme, and Bettina Berendt as well as two anonymous reviewers for their comments on the manuscript and for correcting my English. And it is also my dearest wish to thank Mr. and Mrs. Brauer for showing me that professional competence and warmth can go together very well.
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© 1997 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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Pribbenow, S. (1997). What's a part? On formalizing part-whole relations. In: Freksa, C., Jantzen, M., Valk, R. (eds) Foundations of Computer Science. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1337. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0052108
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0052108
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