The phrase "understood in relation to" is correct and usable in written English.
It is used to indicate that something is understood in comparison with something else. For example, "The price of the car needs to be understood in relation to the car's age and condition."
The thickness dependence of the thermal resistance is observed, and can be understood in relation to heat-transfer losses that are related to the porous structure of the SWCNT film.
All three concepts are relational, that is, their definition can only be understood in relation to one another [ 64].
From that point of view learning needs to be understood in relation to the individual and his or her experiences, which are related to his or her learning.
These need to be understood in relation to the proper goal of the firm.
So a phrase such as "hot dog" would be understood in relation to mustard and baseball games, not overheated canines.
But this breathtakingly vindictive betrayal can be understood in relation to Shaw's real-life obsession with his leading actress.
The sheer implausibility of Daniel's marine adventure needs to be understood in relation to the twin possibilities, explicitly invoked by the narrative, of hallucination and angelic intervention.
Ever since a clock was first used to synchronise labour in the 18th century, time has been understood in relation to money.
These findings also need to be understood in relation to what we know about the severe cognitive effects of persistent, heavy alcohol use, which include irreversible brain damage.
In Latin America fan violence has been understood in relation to the modern politics of dictatorship and repressive state methods of social control.
Academics and policymakers expanded on these ideas after September 11th, which brought urgently to the fore questions about how Al Qaeda's radical ideas should be understood in relation to wider, diverse Muslim thought.
