Definition of:logical vs. physical topology
logical vs. physical topology

A logical topology is how devices appear connected to the user. A physical topology is how they are actually interconnected with wires and cables. For example, in a shared Ethernet network that uses hubs rather than switches, the logical topology appears as if every node is connected to a common bus that runs from node to node. However, its physical topology is a star, in which every node on the network connects to a central hub. See Ethernet and logical vs. physical.