# kaal:claim:3782191-024

**Claim.** The widely reproduced diagram contrasting centralized, decentralized, and distributed networks is a shallow and wrong answer to what decentralization means, because decentralized networks are always distributed while distributed networks may or may not be under centralized control, so distributed does not belong in the comparison.

**Type.** definitional  **Support.** argued

**Holds when.**

- explanations of distributed computing, blockchain, and Web3

**Source quote.**

> Decentralized networks are always distributed; distributed networks may or may not be under centralized control. So "distributed" doesn't even belong in the same image.

**From.** Craig Calcaterra, Wulf A. Kaal, *Preface to* (2021), What is decentralization? A mathematician's perspective from Craig Calcaterra, page 12

**Cite as.** Craig Calcaterra, Wulf A. Kaal, Preface to (2021). SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3782191

**Verify.** sha256 of source PDF `b0bf0529c3cf69839879bc4da476714efee2717a4beb768bd5c859b810e6174e` at https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wulfkaal/Academic-Papers/main/papers/pdf/Calcaterra%20and%20Kaal%20-%202021%20-%20Preface%20to.pdf

**Failure mode.** distributed-decentralized-conflation  (family: definitional-ambiguity)

**Topics.** decentralization

**Keywords.** distributed-vs-decentralized, definition, network-topology, conceptual-error

**Canonical form.** This markdown file is the canonical hashed representation of the claim. Its sha256 is the content hash used for attestation.