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Onto-Med >> Theories >> GFO Part I Basic Principles

  
   

Overview

General Formal Ontology (GFO)
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Next: 7.3 Boundaries of Material Up: 7 Material Structures Previous: 7.1 Material Structures, Space,

7.2 Material Structures and Substrates

Every material structure consists of an amount of substrate. An amount of substrate may be understood as a special persistant whose instances are distinct amounts at certain time-points; we call these presential amounts of substrate. An amount of substrate at a certain time-boundary, i.e., a presential amount of substrate, is always a part of the substrate of a material structure. We introduce the predicates $\GSubstr(x)$ and $\GPSubstr(x)$, where $x$ is an amount of substrate, and $x$ is a presential amount of substrate, respectively. The basic relation $\Gconsist(x, y)$ means the material structure $x$ consists of the (presential amount of) substrate $y$. There are several kinds of substrates, they may be classified as solid, fluid, and gaseous substrates. Let $x$ be an amount of substrate; in which way can one say that an amount of substrate persists, i.e., there is a persistant whose instances are amounts of substrate? Consider, for example, an amount $G$ of gold. $G$ may undergo several changes; many different forms may inhere in $G$ at different time-boundaries. There may be rings, teeths, broochs, lumps etc., whose substrates contain the ``same'' $G$ as parts. Furthermore, there is an ontological connectedness between this $G$ at different time-boundaries. There are several properties that can be attributed to $x$ (solidity, fluidity, gaseity). Hence, material structures are constituted by (presential) amounts of substrates, boundaries, forms, and other presential qualities (color, weight). Basic relations then bring these constituents together to form the whole of a material structure.

next up previous
Next: 7.3 Boundaries of Material Up: 7 Material Structures Previous: 7.1 Material Structures, Space,
Robert Hoehndorf 2006-10-18
 
       
     
     
     

   
     
     
       
 

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