The word topology is commonly used to discuss the properties of various types of networks.
Topology is the branch of mathematics that examines the characteristics of geometric shapes.
Networks have shapes, and the shape a network takes has much to do with the way it functions. You encounter the distinction between physical and logical frequently in networking. The distinction is necessary because the way something looks can be quite different from the way it functions. A motion picture may look like a natural moving scene, but it actually consists of many snapshots flashed on the screen so quickly that your eye interprets the individual pictures as moving. The logical, moving picture is much different from the physical reality.