Physical Entity

A Physical Entity is a thing that is a material entity (that exists in physical space with measurable properties through physical dimensions and material composition).

• AKA: Real-World Entity, Concrete Object, Physical Thing, Concreta.
• Context:
  • It can (typically) possess Physical Propertys through material characteristics and physical attributes.
  • It can (typically) occupy Physical Space through spatial dimensions and material presence.
  • It can (typically) demonstrate Material Behaviors through physical interactions and natural laws.
  • It can (typically) undergo Physical Changes through time and environmental conditions.
  • ...
  • It can (often) interact with Other Entitys through physical contact.
  • It can (often) experience Forces through physical interactions.
  • It can (often) exhibit Material Qualitys through physical states.
  • It can (often) maintain Structural Integrity through material bonds.
  • It can (often) be Denoted by a Concrete Noun.
  • ...
  • It can range from being an Atomic Physical Entity to being a Composite Physical Entity, depending on its structural composition.
  • It can range from being a Microscopic Thing to being a Cosmic Thing, depending on its physical scale.
  • It can range from being a Physical Object to being a Physical Phenomena, depending on its manifestation type.
  • It can range from being a Temporary State to being a Permanent Form, depending on its temporal duration.
  • ...
• Example(s):
  • Fundamental Physical Entitys, such as:
    • Elementary Particles, such as:
      • Quarks, showing fundamental force interactions.
      • Electrons, demonstrating electromagnetic propertys.
      • Photons, featuring wave-particle duality.
    • Atomic Structures, such as:
      • Hydrogen Atoms, showing simple atomic structure.
      • Carbon Atoms, demonstrating electronic shells.
    • Molecular Entitys, such as:
      • Water Molecules, featuring chemical bonds.
      • Protein Structures, showing molecular complexity.
  • Natural Physical Entitys, such as:
    • Celestial Bodys, such as:
      • Stars, like the Sun, showing stellar processes.
      • Planets, like Earth, featuring planetary systems.
    • Geological Formations, such as:
      • Mountains, like Mount Everest, showing tectonic formation.
      • Caves, like Mammoth Cave, demonstrating erosion processes.
    • Biological Entitys, such as:
      • Microorganisms, like E.coli bacteria, showing cellular structure.
      • Plants, like Giant Sequoia, featuring organic growth.
      • Animals, like African Elephant, demonstrating complex biology.
    • Ecosystems, such as:
      • Forests, like Amazon Rainforest, showing biome structure.
      • Oceans, like Pacific Ocean, featuring marine systems.
  • Constructed Entitys, such as:
    • Architectural Structures, such as:
      • Buildings, like Eiffel Tower, showing structural design.
      • Bridges, like Golden Gate Bridge, featuring engineering principles.
    • Transportation Systems, such as:
      • Vehicles, like Boeing 747, demonstrating mechanical systems.
      • Railways, like Trans-Siberian Railway, showing infrastructure design.
    • Information Systems, such as:
      • Computing Devices, like Quantum Computer, featuring physical computation.
      • Storage Mediums, like Hard Drive, showing data physicality.
    • Cultural Artifacts, such as:
      • Books, like Principia Mathematica, demonstrating physical medium.
      • Archaeological Remains, like Rosetta Stone, showing preserved information.
  • Composite Physical Entitys, such as:
    • Physical Systems, such as:
      • Weather Systems, like Hurricane, showing complex interactions.
      • Urban Systems, like Tokyo Metropolitan Area, featuring integrated structures.
    • The Universe (at this moment), encompassing all matter and energy.
  • ...
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Abstract Entitys, which lack material form and physical presence.
  • Digital Entitys, which exist in virtual space rather than physical reality.
  • Fictional Entitys, which exist only in imagination or narrative.
• See: Material Object, Tangible Thing, Real Object, Physical Form, Physical System, Environment.

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References

2009

• (WordNet, 2009) ⇒ http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=physical%20entity
  • S: (n) physical entity (an entity that has physical existence)
• SUMO http://sigma.ontologyportal.org:4010/sigma/Browse.jsp?lang=EnglishLanguage&kb=SUMO&term=Physical
  • "An entity that has a location in space-time. Note that locations are themselves understood to have a location in space-time."
• http://sigma.ontologyportal.org:4010/sigma/Browse.jsp?lang=EnglishLanguage&kb=SUMO&term=Object
  • "Corresponds roughly to the class of ordinary objects. Examples include normal physical objects, geographical regions, and locations of Processes, the complement of Objects in the Physical class. In a 4D ontology, an Object is something whose spatiotemporal extent is thought of as dividing into spatial parts roughly parallel to the time-axis."
• http://www.isi.edu/~hobbs/bgt-space.text
  • Many "top-level" ontologies begin with a distinction between physical objects and abstract entities. By contrast, we have made it through twelve background theories without ever mentioning the distinction. The reason for this is that the core of language doesn't seem to care much about this distinction. We can be "in" a building, and we can be "in" politics and "in" trouble. We can "move" a chair from the desk to the door, and we can "move" the debate from politics to religion and "move" money from one bank account to another. Ontologies that begin with this distinction, or similar ones like Cyc's tangible-intangible distinction (Lenat and Guha, 1990), fail to capture important generalizations in language and as a result very nearly make themselves irrelevant in linguistic applications at the outset.

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