Activity vs. Task

Task

• is given (from "superior" to "inferior") where the superior and the inferior could be people (e.g. boss and his worker) and things (CPU logic assigning its cores to do incoming tasks)
• implies responsibility (for the one doing it)
• has a reason (to be assigned and done)
• is (commonly) a part of "something bigger" (a project or a commission for a firm, execution of a program for a CPU, ...) to which it brings its (smaller or more significant) contribution
• has a goal (to be achieved within a "bigger plan")
• tasks are usually important, not expendable and the execution of a "bigger plan" is usually dependent on successful completion of the task (even a task to find 'there is no solution' to the problem being solved is contributory)

Activity

• approximate synonym: doing, or "a product of being active"
• approximate antonym: doing nothing
• any process that makes some measurable results could be classified as "activity"

Examples

• John is a general to prepare and execute an offensive. As a part of it, Bono has just complete a terrain-scouting and is ready to give a report to him. The scouting here is a task of the operation. Within the same operation, Ronald, an operator of an infra-red scanner was given the task of monitoring the activity (moving, gathering, preparing for fight, ...) of all his enemy units.
• The Golden Gate bridge is exposed (in a remarkable way) to rusting, due to the sea climate. Rusting here is an activity. Assigning someone to monitor it and do whatever is needed for the bridge to be fixed would be the appropriate task.
• The Etanol fermentation is an activity of some type of bacterias. Using it to make alcohol drinks is the task of the modern food industry.
• Jeb is loitering and wasting time. This couldn't be possibly regarded as a task, since there is no point in doing that within any "higher plan". However - if any of the two at all - we could say this is an activity (although, very non-productive).

Similar words

• role
• job
• exercise
• work, workings
• process, product, production

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"Activity vs Task." Diffen.com. Diffen LLC, n.d. Web. 9 Apr 2020. < >