{
  "id": "point-of-inflection.curvature",
  "term": "point of inflection",
  "sense": "curvature",
  "pos": "noun",
  "status": "review",
  "level": 12,
  "domain": "change of state",
  "style": "folk",
  "definition": "the moment when a parameter stays inside its window yet its drift switches from increasing to decreasing (or vice-versa) while the parameter itself continues to move, indicating a shift of regime",
  "folk_gloss": "a moment when a trend changes direction of its acceleration",
  "emergence": {
    "components": [
      "parameter.condition",
      "drift.aimless",
      "increase.quantity",
      "window.range",
      "change.process"
    ],
    "interaction": "the drift of a parameter ceases to increase and begins to decrease while the parameter remains within its window, marking a regime shift",
    "novel_properties": [
      "sign flip of drift curvature"
    ]
  },
  "examples": [],
  "relations": [],
  "used_by": [],
  "forms": [
    "inflection point",
    "point of inflection"
  ],
  "closed": false,
  "provenance": {
    "author": "phrases:openai/gpt-oss-120b",
    "date": "2026-07-29",
    "confidence": 0.7,
    "sources": [
      "folk phrase — the change of state itself"
    ]
  },
  "canonical": "https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-point-of-inflection.curvature"
}