The Emergence Machine

stretched thin · capacity

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When energy capacity is divided so finely among tasks that each portion can barely sustain its part, and the whole is near collapse from lack of slack.

Stretched thin (adjective) means: When energy capacity is divided so finely among tasks that each portion can barely sustain its part, and the whole is near collapse from lack of slack. It emerges from energy, slack, capacity, maintenance: When a thing is divided so finely that its parts can no longer maintain coherence. In the EmergenceLexicon it sits at computed level 19, chaining down to the four foundations (space, time, energy, pattern).

stretched-thin.capacity · forms: stretched thin

ordinarily means: Feeling pulled in too many directions at once.

Examples

Emergence

from: energy slack capacity maintenance window
through: When a thing is divided so finely that its parts can no longer maintain coherence.

Chain to foundations

windowL7 window.range: The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.partL1 part.relation: Something that is in a thing but is not all of that thing.structureL2 structure.arrangement: The pattern of how the parts of a thing are placed in space.sizeL2 size.measurement: the space that a thing's matter is inwallL10 wall.range-end: The value of a parameter at which a window ends.smallL4 small.size: a thing that is less extent than most other thingscarryingL5 carrying.transporting: To move with a thing that is in one place and then is in another, where the thing remains in contact and under control.fallL3 fall.gravity: When a thing moves down in space during time.nothingL10 nothing.absence: not a thingreceiveL6 receive.communication: to get something that comes to a placenoneL9 none.quantity: no amount of a thingcomeL3 come.arrive: To move through space until being at some place.extentL3 extent.spatial: how much space matter hasobjectL4 object.entity: A thing that has a boundary and an arrangement of parts that persists through time in a place.entitiesL4 entities.object: things that are each distinct from other thingsgroupsL5 groups.collection: a set of entity that are together because each entity has patternslackL18 slack.margin: A parameter whose window is narrower than the range allowed by what persists.motionL2 motion.movement: Change of place: a thing is here, and after, it is there.surfaceL4 surface.exterior: A part of a boundary that touches a thing and is where the thing is not the thing.numberL6 number.quantity: a mark of many distinct others together in a placesubstanceL12 substance.material: what remains through the drift a window toleratestimeL0 time.dimension: The before and after of things: that in which a thing can be, and then not be the same.patternL0 pattern.regularity: That which is the same again: what is here is also there, or what is now was also before.controlL4 control.ability: A pattern that persists through time and sets boundaries for how others can change.pressL5 press.force: to move an object until it is in contact with a surfacegiveL7 give.transfer: to make a piece go to otherspersistL1 persist.continue: To be the same through time.offL2 off.state: when a thing is not here, it is theremaintenanceL14 maintenance.upkeep: Work that holds the parameters of a thing inside its window.workL3 work.effort: a change that happens when energy moves something through spacesomeoneL7 someone.person: any personmarksL5 marks.visual: A difference that is a pattern on a surface when a part changes that surface.broughtL6 brought.past-tense: To come to a place carrying a thing that was not there before.pieceL3 piece.portion: a part of a thing that has its own boundaryprovideL8 provide.supply: to give something to someone so that they have itcontactL4 contact.physical: When two things are at the same place in space during time and their boundaries touch.arrangementL3 arrangement.spatial: a structure of parts in space.allowL17 allow.permission: let thing to enable itflowL3 flow.movement: Motion of many parts of matter together through one place.interactionL2 interaction.process: When two things change each other.insideL5 inside.spatial: in the space that is within an object's boundarysetsL3 sets.grouped: A pattern of many things that are each different from the others but are bounded together by what is the same about them.energyL0 energy.capacity: That by which things can be not as they were.changeL1 change.process: When a thing is not the same after as it was before.getL5 get.acquisition: you make a thing come to youmatterL1 matter.substance: A pattern of energy that is in one place in space through time.interactingL4 interacting.social: when two things change each other while touchingstretched thinL19 stretched-thin.capacity: When energy capacity is divided so finely among tasks that each portion can barely sustain its part, and the whole is near collapse from lack of slack.distinctL3 distinct.attribute: a thing is not the same as another thingparameterL4 parameter.condition: A condition of a thing that can change while the thing persists.amountL8 amount.quantity: the quantity of a thing is a size or a numberkeepL5 keep.maintenance: to make something persist in a place or statepossibleL3 possible.potential: that can happenstateL2 state.condition: a pattern of a thing that persists through time in a placedriftL11 drift.aimless: Change of a parameter with nothing that makes it go one way.forceL12 force.push: a press of matter that results in a change in motioncapacityL11 capacity.size: the maximum load that a thing can have while its parameter stays inside the windowresourceL15 resource.material: output falling within the input window of a nearby system. The same substance, different neighbourhood.peopleL6 people.social: a group of distinct entities that persist over time and interact through mutual touchhappenL2 happen.event-occurrence: A change that is at some place during time.systemL5 system.organized: a set of parts that interact together in a structureholdL13 hold.physical: keep thing with touch and force so it does not moveothersL2 others.distinct-entities: Things that are in space and time but not the same thing as one, or not the same pattern as one.makeL4 make.verb: Parts come together through interaction into a structure and persist in that pattern.goL3 go.movement: to move one from a place to another placespaceL0 space.extent: Where things can be: that in which one thing is here and another is there, apart.rangeL3 range.spatial: the space between two boundariesdifferenceL1 difference.relation: When one thing is not the same as another; the pattern of one is not the pattern of the other.letL8 let.permission: to give control to anotherwayL9 way.method: a link of one place to another through spaceconnectsL7 connects.verb: When two things are brought together so that a flow between them can happen and persist.outsideL6 outside.spatial: the space that is not inside a thing's boundaryquantityL7 quantity.numerical: the size of how many things are in a spaceconditionL3 condition.state: a state of a thing that persists through time in a placeboundaryL2 boundary.limit: The place where a thing ends and what is not the thing begins.narrowL5 narrow.spatial: Having a small range between boundaries.enablesL16 enables.facilitation: to make something possible by providing a resource for itlinksL8 links.connection: a thing that connects two thingstouchL3 touch.together: When there is no space between the boundaries of two things, and each can change the other.
full chain as text (288 steps)

Neighborhood

Concepts that depend on this one above; what it is built from below.

built fromstretched thinL19stretched-thin.capacity — When energy capacity is divided so finely among tasks that each portion can barely sustain its part, and the whole is neenergyL0energy.capacity — That by which things can be not as they were.slackL18slack.margin — A parameter whose window is narrower than the range allowed by what persists.capacityL11capacity.size — the maximum load that a thing can have while its parameter stays inside the windowmaintenanceL14maintenance.upkeep — Work that holds the parameters of a thing inside its window.windowL7window.range — The range of a parameter within which a thing can be; outside it the thing ends though its parts persist.

Provenance

author: phrases:qwen/qwen3-235b-a22b-2507 · date: 2026-07-29 · confidence: 0.7 · source: folk phrase — capacity and burnout