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Can area from mathematics be called plot?

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3 Answers

up vote 5 down vote accepted

No, "area" cannot be replaced by "plot" in mathematics. There are two reasons:

  1. "Area" in mathematics refers to the specific surface within a specific boundary. Plot, in common usage, refers to an indeterminate amount (abstract and without bound) of area i.e. plot of garden bed.

  2. "Plot" in Mathematics refers to a graph of several coordinates

So, to sum up, Plotting cannot be used in place of Area, in mathematics because it causes confusion.

Notice I keep on emphasising in mathematics. This is because, in normal usage, "area" and "plot" are sometimes interchangeable. But absolutely not in mathematics.

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4  
They are not interchangeable. Would you speak of a dining "plot" off the living room, or a vegetable "area" in your garden, or a burial "area" in a cemetery? And I'll note that you just regurgitated most of my answer while getting a major point wrong. – Robusto Jun 27 '11 at 11:28
I've edited it, I hope that clarifies matters. – Thursagen Jun 27 '11 at 11:30
3  
I think to say that in normal usage they are sometimes interchangeable is a bit confusing. Also, they are not interchangeable in normal usage, but in specific usage (when using "plot in the sense of a piece of land; and when using "area" in a sense of location, not measurement; and even then, in normal usage, there would, normally, still be difference and you would choose more appropriate word) – Unreason Jun 27 '11 at 12:50
@Ham: Next time when your answer turns out to be wrong and you get corrected --and somebody else (In this case @Robusto) has posted a correct answer-- don't just regurgitate their correct answer. Back off and let it go. Just delete instead of editing to say something totally different, especially when that something different came from someone else's knowledgeable answer to the same question. I've seen you do this several times and it is a form of plagiarism that is really bothering folks here. – Caleb Jul 1 '11 at 12:37
@Caleb, got you. – Thursagen Jul 1 '11 at 12:39
up vote 12 down vote

The terms are really not synonymous. They are similar in one sense only.

plot 3 a small piece of ground marked out for a purpose such as building or gardening : a vegetable plot.

area 1b • [with adj. ] a space allocated for a specific purpose : the dining area.

Note I said they are similar — I would not call these entries synonymous at all. I would just say this is possibly the source of your confusion.

In mathematics, a plot is

plot 4 a graph showing the relation between two variables. • a diagram, chart, or map.

This is definitely not the same thing as mathematical area.

[NOAD]

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up vote 2 down vote

If it could than a "plot area" would be pleonasm.

Plot, in several meanings of the word, see here, can have an area.

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