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
Purpose and description
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.
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).
It can be 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..
Distinguishing features
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.
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
- 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
Characteristics
- Power bearer
- Actor, collective or system to which the capacity is attributed Identifies whose capacity is being assessed and avoids attributing collective capacity to an individual without evidence.
- Outcome and target
- Affected outcome, process, actor or set of alternatives Makes a claim of power specific enough to test.
- Basis and mechanism
- Recorded basis and causal pathway, such as access control, resource dependence, sanction, persuasion or technical actuation; multiple values allowed Explains how the bearer could produce an effect and what would disable that capacity.
- Effective reach
- Affected actors, locations, processes and time windows, with explicit exclusions Prevents a local capacity from being treated as unrestricted power.
- Effect magnitude
- Change in an outcome-specific measure relative to an explicit baseline; no universal power unit assumed Distinguishes minor influence from decisive control over the assessed outcome.
- Effect reliability
- Observed success fraction or estimated probability under stated conditions, with uncertainty; unknown when unsupported Separates repeatable capacity from a single fortunate result.
- Exercise state
- Unverified, available, being exercised, deliberately withheld, blocked or lost Distinguishes having a capacity from using it and from being temporarily unable to use it.
- Activation burden
- Required time, expenditure, coordination or other context-specific cost Shows whether nominal power can be exercised within the relevant decision window.
- Authorization relationship
- Applicable permission, prohibition, mandate or disputed authority, with scope and source Prevents an agent from interpreting ability as permission.
Also called
+12
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.power-person
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 18 findings · 28 questions.
Power claim Identifies whose capacity is asserted and precisely what that capacity concerns.
Power cannot be assessed as an unqualified possession detached from an outcome and context.
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.
Resources and positions are potential sources of power, but their possession alone does not demonstrate an effective capacity.
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.
A useful assessment must distinguish nominal, weak, conditional and decisive power without assuming a universal scale.
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.
Unused power may remain effective, while nominally available power may be too slow or costly to exercise.
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.
An agent needs to judge both whether an intervention can work and whether the bearer is entitled to perform it.
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.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
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.
- instantaneous power (P = dW/dt or dE/dt at an instant)
- average (mean) power over a stated interval
- peak, pulse or crest power
- mechanical power (P = F·v or τ·ω)
- electrical active (real) power
- electrical reactive power
- electrical apparent power
- radiant power (radiant flux) and thermal heat-transfer rate
- 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.
- Wikidata - Q25342 - Wikidata item 'power' (physics); not Q25107 (social/political power).
- ISO 80000-4 quantity - P (power); unit W (watt) - Coherent SI derived quantity; 1 W = 1 J/s = 1 N·m/s.
- ISO 80000-6 / IEC 80000-6 - P (active power, W); Q (reactive power, var); S (apparent power, VA) - Electrical power quantities; var and VA are special names, not extra SI dimensions.
- UCUM - W - Unified Code for Units of Measure code for the watt.
- QUDT - quantitykind:Power ; unit:W - Quantity kind and SI unit IRIs in the QUDT vocabulary.
- 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.
- BIPM SI Brochure, 9th edition (CGPM/CIPM/BIPM) - SI derived unit watt and its expression in base units.
- ISO 80000-4:2019 (ISO/TC 12) - mechanical power as a quantity of mechanics.
- ISO 80000-6:2022 and IEC 80000-6 (ISO/TC 12 and IEC/TC 25) - electrical active, reactive and apparent power.
- IEEE Std 1459-2010 (IEEE Power & Energy Society) - measurement definitions for electric power quantities.
- IEC 60364 (IEC) - low-voltage electrical installations, including circuit power ratings and conductor sizing.
- Legal metrology for electricity meters (OIML and national implementations) - billing of active energy (W·h) and, where used, demand (W).
- Engine net-power rating codes: SAE J1349 (SAE International); UNECE Regulation No. 85; ISO 1585 (ISO) - how advertised engine power is measured.
- 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.
- Nameplate and datasheet ratings of motors, generators, inverters, photovoltaic modules, lamps and appliances, stated as rated, continuous or peak watts.
- Electricity supply: generation, transmission, distribution and customer demand are scheduled and limited in watts (typically kW-GW); energy billed in watt-hours.
- Prime movers: internal-combustion engines, turbines and electric traction motors are specified and compared by output power.
- HVAC and process plant: heating, cooling and pumping capacity is a thermal or fluid power (kW of heat or shaft power).
- Photonics and RF: lasers, lamps and transmitters are specified by radiant or delivered electromagnetic power, with safety classes tied to that value.
- Human physiology and sport: basal metabolic rate is on the order of 80-100 W; short maximal mechanical output can exceed 1 kW.
- Power-system protection and plant design: overload, short-circuit and thermal limits are power (or current-at-voltage) constraints.
- 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.
- active / mechanical / thermal power (energy-transfer rate) - µW-mW (sensors, indicators); 1-20 kW (dwellings and light vehicles); 50-400 kW (cars, industrial motors); MW-GW (generation units and grids) - W (watt)
- electrical apparent power - same order as active power; larger than active power when power factor < 1 - VA (volt-ampere)
- electrical reactive power - often tens of percent of apparent power on inductive loads; can be leading or lagging - var (volt-ampere reactive)
- power factor - about 0.7-1.0 lagging for many motors and supplies; 1.0 for purely resistive loads - dimensionless (W/VA)
- energy transferred over an interval (time integral of power) - household daily use typically 5-30 kW·h; plant output reported in MW·h or GW·h - J or W·h
- conversion efficiency - incandescent lamps ~2-5 % luminous; large electrical machines and transformers often 90-99 %; heat engines limited by Carnot - dimensionless
- 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.
- Exceeding continuous rated power overheats conductors, windings and semiconductors, causing insulation failure, fire or shutdown.
- Treating peak, surge or nameplate power as continuous available power undersizes cooling, fuel or supply and trips protection.
- Confusing watts (power) with watt-hours (energy) produces wrong runtime, fuel and bill calculations.
- Treating apparent power (VA) or reactive power (var) as active power (W) mis-sizes generators, inverters and cables.
- Unit mix-ups among W, hp, PS and boiler horsepower change a rating by tens of percent.
- Loss or collapse of electrical power (outage, brownout) is a common initiating event for dependent safety systems.
- High instantaneous power (short circuit, arc flash, laser pulse) can injure even when average power is modest.
- 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.
- SI watt is the legal unit in most of the world; United States motor-vehicle, small-engine and HVAC practice still quotes horsepower alongside or instead of kilowatts.
- Mechanical horsepower (550 ft·lbf/s ≈ 745.7 W), metric horsepower PS/CV (75 kgf·m/s ≈ 735.5 W) and electrical horsepower (746 W) are not interchangeable.
- Boiler horsepower (~9.81 kW) remains in some North American steam-plant language and is not an engine horsepower.
- Electricity tariffs and grid codes differ on whether reactive power, peak demand (kW) or only energy (kW·h) is billed.
- In several languages the ordinary word for power also means force, strength or political authority, which leaks into translations of standards.
- 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.
- energy - Energy is the time integral of power (J = W·s). A watt value without a duration does not fix an energy; a joule value without a time does not fix a power.
- work - Work is energy transferred by a mechanical process; power is how fast that transfer occurs. Static force with no motion does work at zero power.
- force - Force is a vector interaction (N). Mechanical power also needs the velocity of the point of application: P = F·v, so a large force at rest delivers no power.
- torque - Torque is a moment (N·m). Rotational power is torque times angular speed (P = τ·ω); a stalled torque produces no power.
- intensity / irradiance / Poynting flux - These are power per unit area (W/m²), not power. Integrating flux over a surface yields power.
- voltage and current - In a circuit, instantaneous electrical power is u·i; voltage or current alone is not power. Under AC, phase (power factor) is required to get active power from RMS voltage and current.
- political or social power - Ability to influence persons or institutions (Wikidata Q25107). It is not measured in watts and is a different registry sense of the same English word.
- statistical power - In hypothesis testing, power is 1 − β, the probability of rejecting a false null. Dimensionless, not a physical energy-transfer rate.
- optical power (dioptre) - Refractive power of a lens is the reciprocal of focal length (m⁻¹, dioptre), not radiant flux in watts.
- mathematical power / exponentiation - aⁿ is an arithmetic operation, not the physical quantity power.
- 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
Sources
- 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.
What the second pass must settle
- 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?