Deleuze uses a Mathematical model in his description of the sea. Through his distinction of striated and smooth space Deleuze identifies the ocean as a "smooth space par excellence." He notes the behavior of striated space is that "lines or trajectories tend to be [subordinate] to points," whereas the opposite is true in smooth space. This identification however disproves the properties in which smooth space can be determined since in his 'Maritime Model' Deleuze points out that "the striation of the sea was a result of navigation on the open water."

Using the ocean as an example of the geometric and topological mathematical models seen in smooth and striated space, Delueze physically realizes the intermingling relationship between the two systems.