Research Article

Zipf's Law, Hierarchical Structure, and Cards-Shuffling Model for Urban Development

Table 2

Differences between two typical types of hierarchies with cascade structure.

TypeCascade structureInterclass relationConnectionTypical example

Real hierarchyPhysical structureGeometric relationConcrete connectionRiver systems
Dummy hierarchyMathematical structureAlgebraic relationAbstract connectionEarthquake energy distribution