Modularity (programming)

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Modularity is a concept that has applications in the contexts of computer science, particularly programming, as well as cognitive science in investigating the structure of mind. A module can be defined variously, but generally must be a component of a larger system, and operate within that system independently from the operations of the other components.

Modularity in Computer Science

Modularity is the property of computer programs that measures the extent to which they have been composed out of separate parts called modules.

Programs that have many direct interrelationships between any two random parts of the program code are less modular than programs where those relationships occur mainly at well-defined interfaces between modules.

Modular programming techniques are those which increase modularity. (See also: structured programming, procedural programming, object-oriented programming and aspect-oriented programming, distributed computing.)

Works Cited

Guimerá, R. & L.A. Nunes Amaral (2005). Functional Cartography of Complex Metabolic Networks. Nature, 433: 895-900.

Yang, A.S. (2001). Modularity, Evolvability and Adaptive Radiations. Evolution and Development, 3:2, 59-72.