Section vs. Compartment — What's the Difference?
By Urooj Arif & Maham Liaqat — Updated on May 2, 2024
A section refers to a distinct part or subdivision of something larger, often based on function or form; a compartment is a separate enclosed area or space within a larger structure, designed to segregate or contain.
Difference Between Section and Compartment
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
A section is a segment of something larger, such as a document, organization, or physical space, identified to organize or categorize parts based on specific criteria. On the other hand, a compartment is typically a physical partition within a structure like a vehicle, building, or piece of furniture, designed to enhance organization, safety, or privacy.
In documents, a section divides text into meaningful segments to improve readability and structure, addressing different topics or themes within the overall content. Whereas, compartments in items such as briefcases or drawers serve the practical purpose of separating items to prevent mixing and to facilitate access.
In organizations, sections refer to specialized units or departments, each handling a particular aspect of the organization's function, such as the sales section or the HR section. Conversely, the term compartment is not commonly used in organizational structure but could metaphorically describe isolated areas within a business that are restricted or limited to specific personnel.
Sections in educational texts help students and readers by breaking down information into digestible parts, each focusing on a specific area of study. In contrast, compartments in educational tools, like laboratory cabinets, are used to store and protect equipment, ensuring that items are easily locatable and safe from contamination.
In terms of navigation and layout, sections of a website are designed to categorize information or functionality, improving user experience by logically organizing content. Compartments, while not a typical term in digital environments, could analogously refer to parts of a database or server where data is segmented for security or performance reasons.
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Comparison Chart
Definition
A part of something that is identified for organization.
An enclosed or partitioned space within a larger entity.
Usage in Text
Divides content into thematic or structural parts.
Not applicable to text.
Usage in Structures
Refers to designated areas within a layout.
Physical subdivisions designed for specific storage.
Example in Business
Departments like finance or marketing.
Secure areas for sensitive information.
Common Contexts
Documents, websites, organizations.
Vehicles, buildings, furniture.
Compare with Definitions
Section
A part of a document separated by headings.
The research paper was divided into several sections including methods and conclusions.
Compartment
A subdivided section in furniture for storage.
His desk has several small compartments for office supplies.
Section
A subdivision of an orchestra.
The string section was particularly impressive in the last performance.
Compartment
A segment of a box or container designed to hold specific items.
The toolbox has a compartment for every type of wrench.
Section
A distinct area within a building.
The children's section of the library is brightly decorated.
Compartment
A separate enclosed area in a vehicle.
The luggage compartment of the train was nearly full.
Section
A division of a piece of land.
They bought a section of farmland in the valley.
Compartment
A section of a ship or boat separated by bulkheads.
The lower compartments of the ship were flooded.
Section
A separate operation within a business.
She works in the customer service section of the company.
Compartment
An isolated segment in an organization or system.
The security protocols are stored in a secure compartment of the network.
Section
One of several components; a piece.
Compartment
One of the parts or spaces into which an area is subdivided.
Section
A subdivision of a written work.
Compartment
A separate room, section, or chamber
A storage compartment.
Section
(Law) A distinct portion or provision of a legal code or set of laws, often establishing a particular legal requirement
Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act.
Compartment
To compartmentalize
"The information has not been compartmented" (John H. Cushman, Jr.).
Section
A distinct portion of a newspaper
The sports section.
Compartment
A room, or section, or chamber
Two men were seated in a well-lit compartment of a third-class railway carriage.
Section
A distinct area of a town, county, or country
A residential section.
Compartment
One of the parts into which an area is subdivided.
Section
A land unit equal to one square mile (2.59 square kilometers), 640 acres, or 1/36 of a township.
Compartment
(biochemistry) Part of a protein that serves a specific function.
Section
The act or process of separating or cutting, especially the surgical cutting or dividing of tissue.
Compartment
(heraldry) A mound (often of grass) beneath the shield in a coat of arms on which the supporters stand.
Section
A thin slice, as of tissue, suitable for microscopic examination.
Compartment
(anatomy) A region in the body, delimited by a biological membrane.
Section
A segment of a fruit, especially a citrus fruit.
Compartment
(transitive) To arrange in separate compartments.
Section
Representation of a solid object as it would appear if cut by an intersecting plane, so that the internal structure is displayed.
Compartment
One of the parts into which an inclosed portion of space is divided, as by partitions, or lines; as, the compartments of a cabinet, a house, or a garden.
In the midst was placed a large compartment composed of grotesque work.
Section
(Music) A group of instruments or voices in the same class considered as a division of a band, orchestra, or choir
The rhythm section.
The woodwind section.
Compartment
One of the sections into which the hold of a ship is divided by water-tight bulkheads.
Section
A class or discussion group of students taking the same course
She taught three sections of English composition.
Compartment
A small space or subdivision for storage
Section
A portion of railroad track maintained by a single crew.
Compartment
A partitioned section or separate room within a larger enclosed area
Section
An area in a train's sleeping car containing an upper and lower berth.
Section
An army tactical unit smaller than a platoon and larger than a squad.
Section
A unit of vessels or aircraft within a division of armed forces.
Section
One of two or more vehicles, such as a bus or train, given the same route and schedule, often used to carry extra passengers.
Section
The character (§) used in printing to mark the beginning of a section.
Section
This character used as the fourth in a series of reference marks for footnotes.
Section
(Informal) A cesarean section.
Section
To separate or divide into parts.
Section
To cut or divide (tissue) surgically.
Section
To shade or crosshatch (part of a drawing) to indicate sections.
Section
(Informal) To perform a cesarean section on.
Section
A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something.
Section
A part, piece, subdivision of anything.
Section
(music) A group of instruments in an orchestra.
The horn section is the group of symphonic musicians who play the French horn.
Section
A part of a document.
Section
An act or instance of cutting.
Section
A cross-section (image that shows an object as if cut along a plane).
Section
(aviation) A cross-section perpendicular the longitudinal axis of an aircraft in flight.
Section
(surgery) An incision or the act of making an incision.
Section
(sciences) A thin slice of material prepared as a specimen for research.
Section
(botany) A taxonomic rank below the genus (and subgenus if present), but above the species.
Section
(zoology) An informal taxonomic rank below the order ranks and above the family ranks.
Section
(military) A group of 10-15 soldiers led by a non-commissioned officer and forming part of a platoon.
Section
(category theory) A right inverse.
Section
(NZ) A piece of residential land; a plot.
Section
(Canadian) A one-mile square area of land, defined by a government survey.
Section
Any of the squares, each containing 640 acres, into which the public lands of the United States were divided.
Section
The symbol §, denoting a section of a document.
Section
(geology) A sequence of rock layers.
Section
A class in a school; a group of students in a regularly scheduled meeting with a teacher in a certain school year or semester or school quarter year.
Section
To cut, divide or separate into pieces.
Section
To reduce to the degree of thinness required for study with the microscope.
Section
(UK) To commit (a person, to a hospital, with or without their consent), as for mental health reasons. So called after various sections of legal acts regarding mental health.
Section
To perform a cesarean section on (someone).
Section
The act of cutting, or separation by cutting; as, the section of bodies.
Section
A part separated from something; a division; a portion; a slice.
Section
A distinct part or portion of a book or writing; a subdivision of a chapter; the division of a law or other writing; a paragraph; an article; hence, the character often used to denote such a division.
It is hardly possible to give a distinct view of his several arguments in distinct sections.
Section
The figure made up of all the points common to a superficies and a solid which meet, or to two superficies which meet, or to two lines which meet. In the first case the section is a superficies, in the second a line, and in the third a point.
Section
A distinct part of a country or people, community, class, or the like; a part of a territory separated by geographical lines, or of a people considered as distinct.
The extreme section of one class consists of bigoted dotards, the extreme section of the other consists of shallow and reckless empirics.
Section
A division of a genus; a group of species separated by some distinction from others of the same genus; - often indicated by the sign .
Section
One of the portions, of one square mile each, into which the public lands of the United States are divided; one thirty-sixth part of a township. These sections are subdivided into quarter sections for sale under the homestead and preëmption laws.
Section
A part of a musical period, composed of one or more phrases. See Phrase.
Section
The description or representation of anything as it would appear if cut through by any intersecting plane; depiction of what is beyond a plane passing through, or supposed to pass through, an object, as a building, a machine, a succession of strata; profile.
Section
A self-contained part of a larger composition (written or musical);
He always turns first to the business section
The history of this work is discussed in the next section
Section
A very thin slice (of tissue or mineral or other substance) for examination under a microscope;
Sections from the left ventricle showed diseased tissue
Section
A distinct region or subdivision of a territorial or political area or community or group of people;
No section of the nation is more ardent than the South
There are three synagogues in the Jewish section
Section
One of several parts or pieces that fit with others to constitute a whole object;
A section of a fishing rod
Metal sections were used below ground
Finished the final segment of the road
Section
A small team of policemen working as part of a police platoon
Section
One of the portions into which something is regarded as divided and which together constitute a whole;
The written part of the exam
The finance section of the company
The BBC's engineering division
Section
A land unit of 1 square mile measuring 1 mile on a side
Section
(geometry) the area created by a plane cutting through a solid
Section
A division of an orchestra containing all instruments of the same class
Section
A small army unit usually having a special function
Section
A specialized division of a large organization;
You'll find it in the hardware department
She got a job in the historical section of the Treasury
Section
A segment of a citrus fruit;
He ate a section of the orange
Section
The cutting of or into body tissues or organs (especially by a surgeon as part of an operation)
Section
Divide into segments;
Segment an orange
Segment a compound word
Common Curiosities
What defines a compartment?
A compartment is defined as a separate, enclosed space within a larger structure, designed to contain items or segregate areas for specific purposes.
How are compartments used in vehicles?
Compartments in vehicles are used to separate passengers from cargo or to organize storage spaces effectively.
What is the advantage of having compartments in furniture?
Compartments in furniture, such as desks or cabinets, offer organized storage solutions, making it easier to separate and access items, which helps in maintaining an orderly environment.
What is the primary function of a section?
The primary function of a section is to organize content or space into identifiable and manageable parts based on thematic or structural criteria.
Can a section be considered a compartment?
While both terms imply division, a section is not typically enclosed or isolated as a compartment is; the terms are not interchangeable.
Why are sections important in documents?
Sections improve the readability and navigability of documents by dividing text into logically organized parts, each focusing on different content.
Can a compartment be virtual, like in software or data management?
Yes, in software or data management, compartments can refer to virtual partitions where data is segmented for security purposes, such as in database management systems where access can be controlled.
How do compartments help in managing risk in financial institutions?
Compartments in financial institutions, such as segregated accounts, help manage risk by separating client funds from company funds, ensuring that client assets are protected from company liabilities.
How does the use of sections affect the structure of a book?
Sections in a book help in structuring the narrative or informational content into chapters or parts, which can guide the reader through the text in a logical and coherent manner.
How do sections enhance the functionality of a website?
Sections in a website help categorize content, allowing users to easily navigate and find the information they need by grouping related topics or functionalities together.
Can sections exist within compartments?
Yes, sections can exist within compartments, especially when further subdivision is required to organize different groups of items or information within a confined space.
In what ways are compartments crucial for safety in transportation?
Compartments, especially in vehicles like trains and ships, are crucial for safety as they can contain hazards such as fire or water, limiting damage and protecting passengers.
What role do sections play in academic writing?
In academic writing, sections are used to divide the content into a clear, structured format that discusses different aspects of the topic systematically, making complex information more digestible.
What are the aesthetic considerations of sections in architecture?
In architecture, sections are not only functional but also aesthetic, helping to define the visual and spatial experience of a building by organizing its spaces into meaningful parts.
Are compartments used in electronics, and if so, how?
Yes, compartments are used in electronics to house different components securely, preventing interference between parts and enhancing the device's overall durability and functionality.
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Written by
Urooj ArifUrooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
