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Complex vs Total - What's the difference?

complex | total |

As adjectives the difference between complex and total

is that complex is made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple while total is entire; relating to the whole of something.

As nouns the difference between complex and total

is that complex is a problem while total is an amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.

As verbs the difference between complex and total

is that complex is (chemistry|intransitive) to form a complex with another substance while total is to add up; to calculate the sum of.

complex

Adjective

(complex number) (en adjective)
  • Made up of multiple parts; composite; not simple.
  • a complex''' being; a '''complex idea
  • * John Locke
  • Ideas thus made up of several simple ones put together, I call complex ; such as beauty, gratitude, a man, an army, the universe.
  • Not simple, easy, or straightforward; complicated.
  • * Whewell
  • When the actual motions of the heavens are calculated in the best possible way, the process is difficult and complex .
  • (mathematics) Of a number, of the form a + bi'', where ''a'' and ''b'' are real numbers and ''i is a square root of −1.
  • complex function
  • (geometry) A curve, polygon or other figure that crosses or intersects itself.
  • Synonyms

    * (not simple) complicated, detailed, difficult, hard, intricate, involved, tough

    Antonyms

    * (not simple) basic, easy, simple, straightforward

    Derived terms

    * complexity * complexness

    Noun

  • A problem.
  • A collection of buildings with a common purpose, such as a university or military base.
  • Assemblage of related things; collection.
  • * South
  • This parable of the wedding supper comprehends in it the whole complex of all the blessings and privileges exhibited by the gospel.
  • A psychological dislike or fear of a particular thing.
  • An organized cluster of thunderstorms.
  • (chemistry) A structure consisting of a central atom or molecule weakly connected to surrounding atoms or molecules.
  • * {{quote-magazine, year=2013, month=September-October, author= Katie L. Burke
  • , magazine=(American Scientist), title= In the News , passage=Oxygen levels on Earth skyrocketed 2.4 billion years ago, when cyanobacteria evolved photosynthesis:

    Derived terms

    * military-entertainment complex * military-industrial complex * Oedipus complex * prison-industrial complex * vitamin B complex * protein complex * chelate complex

    Verb

    (es)
  • (chemistry) To form a complex with another substance
  • total

    English

    Alternative forms

    * totall (obsolete)

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • An amount obtained by the addition of smaller amounts.
  • A total of £145 was raised by the bring-and-buy stall.
  • (informal, mathematics) Sum.
  • The total of 4, 5 and 6 is 15.

    See also

    * addition, summation: (augend) + (addend) = (summand) + (summand) = (sum, total) * subtraction: (minuend) ? (subtrahend) = (difference) * multiplication: (multiplier) × (multiplicand) = (factor) × (factor) = (product) * division: (dividend) ÷ (divisor) = (quotient), remainder left over if divisor does not divide dividend

    Synonyms

    * (sum) sum

    Derived terms

    * subtotal

    Adjective

    (en adjective)
  • Entire; relating to the whole of something.
  • :
  • *
  • *:Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers,. Even such a boat as the Mount Vernon offered a total deck space so cramped as to leave secrecy or privacy well out of the question, even had the motley and democratic assemblage of passengers been disposed to accord either.
  • *{{quote-magazine, date=2013-08-03, volume=408, issue=8847, magazine=(The Economist)
  • , title= Boundary problems , passage=Economics is a messy discipline: too fluid to be a science, too rigorous to be an art. Perhaps it is fitting that economists’ most-used metric, gross domestic product (GDP), is a tangle too. GDP measures the total value of output in an economic territory. Its apparent simplicity explains why it is scrutinised down to tenths of a percentage point every month.}}
  • ((used as an intensifier)) Complete; absolute.
  • :
  • Synonyms

    * (entire) entire, full, whole * (complete) absolute, complete, utter; see also

    Derived terms

    * total war

    Verb

  • To add up; to calculate the sum of.
  • When we totalled the takings, we always got a different figure.
  • To equal a total of; to amount to.
  • That totals seven times so far.
  • (transitive, US, slang) to demolish; to wreck completely. (from total loss)
  • Honey, I’m OK, but I’ve totaled the car.
  • To amount to; to add up to.
  • It totals nearly a pound.

    Synonyms

    * (add up) add up, sum * (demolish) demolish, trash, wreck

    Anagrams

    * 1000 English basic words ----