What is the difference between method and technique?

Answer 1

In general

Method is the general or specific way in which an activity is conducted, while techniques are the various methods and processes developed through knowledge, skill, and experience.

Example:

There is a method for changing a light bulb : the switch is turned off, the old one comes out and the new one goes in.

There are many techniques for handling a hot bulb, and for avoiding damage to the new bulb you're putting in.

Programming:

1. Method - A method performs a specific task in a routine. From object oriented programming (OOP), methods are functions that are part of a class definition. Once an instance of the class is created, a method is bound to that instance. Unlike a function declared outside a class, a method cannot be used apart from the instance to which it is attached.

2. Technique - A way of working with methods, functions, and code commands to create the overall response from the computer when the code is run.

EXAMPLE: There are many ways to get a computer to calculate your age. One technique would be to write a function to prompt a user for their date of birth. Then subtract the value of today's date (a method of the date class) from their input. Finally, you can use an output function to post the results. The methods are the individual code commands to receive input, process data, and output results. the technique is the overall process. A different technique would be to simply prompt the user for their age.

Computer Animation:

1. Method - a method is a specific tool used to create a detail in the artwork. For instance, to create a cylinder shape in 3D, one could create a circle and extrude the cylinder. Alternatively, they could create a straight line and revolve (lathe) the line around a second line. The second line would then become the central axis of the cylinder. The second method give more control of the silhouette of the cylinder in the beginning, and would be preferable for making shaped cylinders, such as a wine glass or beer bottle.

2. Technique - a general set of methods used to create the overall illusion of a scene. To create an animation of a wine glass breaking, one could start by modeling the individual broken peices and keyframing them coming back together (playback would then be backwards). Another (better) technique would be to use the revolve method noted above, and split the finished model apart, keyframing the peices away from each other. A third technique would be to use a simulation on the model to create the broken peices and define their motion.