for questions on configuration spaces, both in the sense of spaces that parameterizes collections of points in a manifold, and in the sense of the space of possible states of a classical mechanical physical system.
The term "configuration space" is often used to denote a space that parameterizes collections of points in a manifold. The precise definition depends on the number of points, and some conditions: if all of the points are distinguishable and are allowed to collide, we get a product of copies of the manifold, but if the points are indistinguishable and not allowed to collide, we get a quotient by a symmetric group of the complement of diagonals in the product.
Another notion of configuration space appears in classical mechanics, where the configuration space of a physical system is the space of possible states the system can have. See also: Wikipedia
