power
Enable an AI agent to recognise and assess a bearer's capacity to cause, prevent or shape specified outcomes, and distinguish that capacity from permission to exercise it.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
Researched by: Codex + Grok
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions
Power claim Identifies whose capacity is asserted and precisely what that capacity concerns.
Bearer and attribution
Locates the capacity in an individual, collective or system.
Capacity bearer
Record the bearer and whether the capacity is independent, delegated or jointly exercisable.
- Who or what can initiate the mechanism that affects the outcome? definition
- Does attributing this power to the named bearer conceal required cooperation from other parties? boundary
Outcome and context
Bounds the effect and the circumstances in which it is achievable.
Bounded outcome
Record the outcome the bearer can cause, prevent or shape and the conditions limiting that claim.
- Which outcome or available choice can the bearer change, and for whom? definition
- In which settings or time windows does the asserted capacity cease to apply? boundary
Sources and conversion Connects the basis of power to a mechanism capable of producing an effect.
Enabling control
Identifies access, assets or positions on which the capacity depends.
Usable power basis
Record the enabling resource or position and the bearer's actual ability to use it.
- Which controlled resource, access right, position or capability enables this power claim? definition
- What evidence shows the bearer can actually use that basis rather than merely claim it? provenance
Causal pathway
Explains how the enabling basis reaches the specified outcome.
Effect-producing mechanism
Record the pathway from the bearer's intervention to the effect, including intermediaries and dependencies.
- Through what sequence does exercising this capacity alter the outcome? definition
- Which intermediary, substitute or dependency failure could interrupt that sequence? boundary
Effective capacity Assesses how much difference the bearer can make and how reliably.
Magnitude and reach
Measures the extent of achievable effects within the claimed scope.
Bounded effect size
Record the achievable change using an outcome-specific baseline and measure.
- How far can the bearer change the outcome relative to the stated baseline? measurement
- Does the evidence support control of the outcome, partial influence or only a capacity to block it? measurement
Reliability and evidence
Tests whether observed effects support a repeatable capacity claim.
Supported capacity estimate
Record supporting observations, plausible alternative explanations and uncertainty about repeatability.
- What observations connect the bearer's action or credible threat to the effect rather than to coincidence or another actor's intervention? provenance
- Across comparable conditions, how often has the mechanism succeeded, failed or remained untested? measurement
Activation and exercise Distinguishes available capacity from its activation, withholding and practical execution.
Readiness and cost
Identifies what must happen before the capacity can produce an effect.
Activation conditions
Record prerequisites, delays and burdens that determine practical availability.
- Which approvals, resources or cooperating parties are required to activate this capacity? action
- What time and cost are required, and do they fit the relevant decision window? measurement
Exercise and withholding
Records whether and how the bearer is using the capacity.
Current exercise state
Distinguish direct exercise, credible threatened exercise, deliberate withholding and inability to act.
- What evidence distinguishes deliberate non-use from an inability to exercise the claimed power? provenance
- What observable change would indicate that the bearer has activated, suspended or exhausted this capacity? measurement
Limits and permissible use Records resistance, fragility and governing constraints on the exercise of power.
Resistance and loss
Identifies conditions under which targets or other actors can neutralize the capacity.
Countervailing capacity
Record available refusal, exit, substitution, veto or revocation mechanisms and their effect on the power claim.
- Who can resist, bypass or revoke the mechanism, and under what conditions? boundary
- Which observed change would require reducing or withdrawing the current assessment of power? measurement
Authority and accountability
Connects possible exercises of power to applicable permissions and oversight.
Exercise authorization
Record the authority governing a proposed exercise, its limits and any unresolved dispute.
- Which recorded rule, mandate or consent authorizes or prohibits this particular exercise of power? provenance
- What review, approval or appeal applies before or after the proposed exercise? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Kinds and varieties
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of power this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Identifiers and schemes
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these identifiers and schemes hold for the sense of power this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Standards and regulation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these standards and regulation hold for the sense of power this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of power this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Typical measurements
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these typical measurements hold for the sense of power this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of power this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of power this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Reported by the breadth pass; each item needs checking against its source before it becomes normative.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of power this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Cross-cutting context
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- XCT
- Domain
- XCT.QLT
- Other names and narrower kinds
- human power generation, standby power, instantaneous electric power, heat flow rate, radiant flux, sound power, apparent power, reactive power, transmitter power output, complex power, non-active power, mechanical power
What it is Filled
In physics, power is the time rate of energy transfer or conversion (equivalently the time derivative of work), a scalar quantity whose coherent SI unit is the watt (W = J/s = kg·m²·s⁻³).
In scope
- Who or what bears power, over which outcomes, and under which conditions
- The resources, dependencies and mechanisms that make the capacity effective
- The reach, strength and reliability of power in a specified context
- Whether power is available, exercised, withheld, resisted or lost
- Constraints on exercising power and the distinction between capability and authorization
Out of scope
- Physical power as energy transfer per unit time, pending confirmation of registry intent
- The internal composition and lifecycle of actors that bear power
- Ownership and lifecycle of resources that provide a basis for power
- The complete rules and institutions that establish authority or rights
- The detailed histories of actions, conflicts and outcomes through which power is exercised
Why it exists Filled
Enable an AI agent to recognise and assess a bearer's capacity to cause, prevent or shape specified outcomes, and distinguish that capacity from permission to exercise it.
Distinguishing features Filled
- A power claim identifies an outcome the bearer can affect and the conditions under which it can do so; prestige or status alone does not establish power.
- A bearer can have effective power without legitimate authority, while an authorized officeholder can lack the means to make a decision effective.
- An observed outcome supports a power claim only when evidence connects the bearer's intervention or credible non-intervention to that outcome.
- Possessing a resource establishes power only when a usable mechanism connects access to that resource with the specified outcome.
- A power assessment states the target and context; capacity in one setting does not establish capacity in another.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Confuse power with energy, or drop the averaging interval from a reported figure.
- Operate equipment above its rated power, or defeat protective limits to do so.
- Report peak values as continuous ratings, or the reverse, in specifications others rely on.
- Present efficiency or output figures measured under unstated conditions.
Only with a human decision
- Changing power limits or protective settings on equipment in service.
May
- Calculate and report power with its units, averaging interval and measurement method stated.
- Monitor a system's power draw or output and report it to the responsible operator.
Moral aspects Filled
- Overstated ratings lead to equipment failures, fires and misinvested public money.
- Energy and power claims drive climate and infrastructure decisions, so honesty matters.
Who is affected
- Operators and users of equipment
- Buyers relying on ratings
- Bystanders near overloaded equipment
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns the quantity; metrology bodies define the unit and standards set measurement methods.
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q107715 - registry parent class
- Q1341282 - registry parent class
- Q181175 - registry parent class
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.power
- Wikidata: Q25342 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q25342)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
- Power bearer: Actor, collective or system to which the capacity is attributed
- Outcome and target: Affected outcome, process, actor or set of alternatives
- Basis and mechanism: Recorded basis and causal pathway, such as access control, resource dependence, sanction, persuasion or technical actuation; multiple values allowed
- Effective reach: Affected actors, locations, processes and time windows, with explicit exclusions
- Effect magnitude: Change in an outcome-specific measure relative to an explicit baseline; no universal power unit assumed
- Effect reliability: Observed success fraction or estimated probability under stated conditions, with uncertainty; unknown when unsupported
- Exercise state: Unverified, available, being exercised, deliberately withheld, blocked or lost
- Activation burden: Required time, expenditure, coordination or other context-specific cost
- Authorization relationship: Applicable permission, prohibition, mandate or disputed authority, with scope and source
Plane XCT: no invented physical properties.
Recognition not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Power is an abstract physical quantity established through measurement or calculation rather than direct visual identification.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Form a bounded power claim naming the bearer, affected outcome and enabling conditions.
- Trace how a resource, position or dependency translates into an effective capacity.
- Assess power using documented interventions, comparisons and uncertainty.
- Compare bearers' capacities against the same outcome and conditions.
- Identify resistance, substitutes or revoked access that could reduce effective power.
- Check authorization and expected effects before proposing an exercise of power.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Confusing power with energy can produce incorrect estimates of consumption, runtime or capacity.
- Demand exceeding equipment power ratings can cause overheating, damage or interrupted operation.
- Confusing peak and continuous power ratings can result in unsuitable equipment selection.
- Incorrect measurement boundaries or averaging intervals can conceal operating peaks and distort performance comparisons.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- The International System of Units brochure, issued by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures, defines the watt as the SI derived unit of power.
- ISO 80000-4 on quantities and units in mechanics, issued by the International Organization for Standardization, specifies mechanical power and its unit.
Context of use required Filled
- Power describes how quickly energy is transferred, used or converted in a physical process.
- It is used to characterize electrical equipment, engines, heating systems and other energy transfers.
- Power measurements support equipment sizing, performance comparison and assessment of operating demand.
Sources Filled
- The International System of Units (SI), 9th edition - Definition of the watt as the SI derived unit of power; 1 W = 1 J/s = 1 kg·m²·s⁻³.
- ISO 80000-4:2019 Quantities and units - Part 4: Mechanics - Quantity name power, symbol P, defining relation to work and energy, and the coherent SI unit watt.
- ISO 80000-6:2022 Quantities and units - Part 6: Electromagnetism - Distinction of active power P (W), reactive power Q (var) and apparent power S (VA) and their SI/IEC units.
- IEEE Std 1459-2010, IEEE Standard Definitions for the Measurement of Electric Power Quantities Under Sinusoidal, Nonsinusoidal, Balanced, or Unbalanced Conditions - Operational definitions used in metering and power-system practice for active, reactive and apparent power, including non-sinusoidal waveforms.
- Wikidata item Q25342: power - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Power (physics) - general description of the item
Open questions
- Does vr.tr.power denote general causal capacity, social power, physical power or another quality, and what registry evidence resolves that ambiguity?
- Does an existing world model already cover the intended concept, requiring this entry to link to that publication?
- Where should the registry draw boundaries between power, capability, influence, control and authority?
- Should diffuse institutional or structural power be attributed to a system, to a relationship or to participating actors?
- What evidence thresholds and context-specific measures justify claims of latent power when direct exercise is absent or cannot appropriately be tested?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q25342/spec.json