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Maybe just like the title, the distinction is whether you interpret root as in the plant part or as in the data structure. In a plant, starting from the trunk,
by alexvoda 5y ago
Maybe just like the title, the distinction is whether you interpret root as in the plant part or as in the data structure.
In a plant, starting from the trunk, and going towards the source, a root branches into smaller and smaller bits. On topic, the root cause would be a combination of multiple contributing factors all coming together.
In a tree data structure, the root is a singular node. On topic, the root cause would be a singular reason.
I never understood why in computer science, the root if a tree data structure is called the root and not the trunk.
- alexvoda 5y agoAdditionally, version control looks nothing like a tree, but oftentimes we have a trunk. Computer scientists are bad botany.
- mytailorisrich 5y agoRoot cause analysis has nothing to do with data structures. Obviously it's an idiom ("the root of the problem") based on the plant part (like 'tree' data structures). In any case there is not point arguing on such semantics, especially if it's to argue on overly narrow definitions. The "root cause" of an issue is very often not singular and therefore "root cause analysis" is not an attempt to find a singular cause.