Classification chart or classification tree is a synopsis of the

classification scheme In information science and ontology, a classification scheme is the product of arranging things into kinds of things (classes) or into ''groups'' of classes; this bears similarity to categorization, but with perhaps a more theoretical bent, as cla ...

, designed to illustrate the structure of any particular field.

Overview

Classification is the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood, and classification charts are intended to help create and eventually visualize the outcome. According to Brinton "in a classification chart the facts, data etc. are arranged so that the place of each in relation to all others is readily seen. Quantities need not be given, although a quantitative analysis adds to the value of a classification chart." Willard Cope Brinton, ''Graphic presentation.'' 1939. p. 43 Karsten (1923) explained, that "in all chart-making, the material to be shown must be accurately compiled before it can be charted. For an understanding of the classification chart, we must delve somewhat into the mysteries of the classification and indexing. The art of classification calls into play the power of visualizing a 'whole' together with its 'parts'."

Karsten, Karl G. Karl Gustaf Karsten (1891– May 25, 1968) was an American economist, statistician, businessman, inventor and author, known from his seminal work on graphical methods, and economic forecasting. Life and work Born in Bloomington, Indiana to Gus ...

Charts and graphs: An introduction to graphic methods in the control and analysis of statistics
'' Prentice-Hall, 1923, p. 13.

Examples

Early examples of classification chart are: * The illustrations of the

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

' 1735 classification of

animals Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in ...

and his

classification Classification is a process related to categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated and understood. Classification is the grouping of related facts into classes. It may also refer to: Business, organizat ...

plant Plants are predominantly photosynthetic eukaryotes of the kingdom Plantae. Historically, the plant kingdom encompassed all living things that were not animals, and included algae and fungi; however, all current definitions of Plantae exclud ...

s in his ''Classes Plantarum'' 1738. * In 1752

Jean le Rond d'Alembert Jean-Baptiste le Rond d'Alembert (; ; 16 November 1717 – 29 October 1783) was a French mathematician, mechanician, physicist, philosopher, and music theorist. Until 1759 he was, together with Denis Diderot, a co-editor of the ''Encyclopédie ...

and

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the ''Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promine ...

produced a

figurative system of human knowledge The "figurative system of human knowledge", sometimes known as the tree of Diderot and d'Alembert, was a tree developed to represent the structure of knowledge itself, produced for the ''Encyclopédie'' by Jean le Rond d'Alembert and Denis Didero ...

produced for the ''

Encyclopédie ''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...

.'' * Augustin Augier's "Arbre Botanique" (1801)J. David Archibald (2009)
Edward Hitchcock’s Pre-Darwinian (1840) 'Tree of Life'
''Journal of the History of Biology'' (2009) 42:561–592. * In 1840

Edward Hitchcock Edward Hitchcock (May 24, 1793 – February 27, 1864) was an American geologist and the third President of Amherst College (1845–1854). Life Born to poor parents, he attended newly founded Deerfield Academy, where he was later principal, ...

inserted a paleontological chart in his ''Elementary Geology'' (1840). It shows a branching diagram of the plant and animal kingdom against a geological background. * The tree of life image that appeared in Darwin's ''

On the Origin of Species ''On the Origin of Species'' (or, more completely, ''On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life''),The book's full original title was ''On the Origin of Species by Me ...

,'' 1859 Early classification chart are often visualized in a

tree structure A tree structure, tree diagram, or tree model is a way of representing the hierarchical nature of a structure in a graphical form. It is named a "tree structure" because the classic representation resembles a tree, although the chart is gener ...

. Modern charts can also be presented in

table Table may refer to: * Table (furniture), a piece of furniture with a flat surface and one or more legs * Table (landform), a flat area of land * Table (information), a data arrangement with rows and columns * Table (database), how the table data ...

or as an

infographic Infographics (a clipped compound of "information" and " graphics") are graphic visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present information quickly and clearly.Doug Newsom and Jim Haynes (2004). ''Public Relations Wr ...

. The term "classification chart" came into use in the 20th century. In his 1939 ''Graphic presentation.'' (first edition 1919) Willard Cope Brinton was one of the first to devoted a whole chapter on classification charts.

References

{{reflist Charts Classification systems

Overview

Examples

See also

References