The Emergence Machine

Optimization

abstract · Technology · Level 6 · E10

E10Institutions

Each concept here is mapped to its prerequisites — the ideas you'd need first to understand it — all the way down to four foundations: Space, Time, Energy, Pattern. Click any prerequisite to drill down, or scroll for the chain graph.

Trace. Question. Emerge.

Emergence definition

Optimization is the systematic process of using algorithms and computational power to improve the quality or quantity of a system's performance, efficiency, or accuracy by finding the best possible solution among a set of alternatives, driven by the flow of energy through space and the creation of dynamic patterns of movement and transformation.

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Wiktionary senses

External reference — all senses of the word “optimization” on Wiktionary. This atlas concept maps to only the slice of meaning relevant to the prerequisite graph.

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Source: Wiktionary — “optimization”. Content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Historical origin

Origin language
English

Prerequisite chain

Possible path of this concept down to the fundamental substrate.

thisfoundationsL6L5L4L3L2L1L0OptimizationAlgorithmLogicCausalitySystemFormProcessStructureActionChangeMatterProcedureEnergyPatternSpaceTimeE1 concrete → E14 abstract

Neighborhood

Direct prerequisites above, concepts that depend on this one below.

thisprerequisitesOptimizationL6ActionL1ProcessL2AlgorithmL5E1 concrete → E14 abstract

In other languages

Prerequisites

What you need to understand first.

  • Action L1 (requires)
    Understanding action is foundational to the process of optimization
  • Process L2 (requires) polysemous
    Understanding process is essential for grasping optimization
  • Algorithm L5 (requires)
    Optimization uses algorithms to find better solutions.