# critical juncture (threshold)

*Ordinarily means:* a pivotal moment when a system is about to change

a parameter is inside its window but near the wall, so any further drift can cause the parameter to go past the wall and make a change

- Computed level: L15 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: general

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [parameter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-parameter.condition), [window](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-window.range), [near](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-near.spatial), [wall](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-wall.range-end), [further](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-further.degree), [drift](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-drift.aimless), [cause](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-cause.reason), [go](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-go.movement), [make](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-make.verb), [change](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-change.process)

**Through:** drift pushes the parameter toward the wall and the parameter going past the wall causes a change

**Novel properties:**
- pre-threshold instability

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*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-critical-juncture.threshold*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-critical-juncture.threshold.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*