# almost (approximation)

not just exact but near

- Computed level: L4 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: approximation  ·  Arena: almost

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [just](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-just.exact), [near](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-near.spatial), [exact](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-exact.precision)

**Through:** exactness and nearness combine to form a state that is close to precision but not strictly exact

**Novel properties:**
- proximity to exactness
- tolerance for slight deviation
- approximate alignment

## Examples
- The Hubble Space Telescope's mirror was polished to within 10 nanometers of the correct shape, but the error caused significant image distortion. *(engineering)*
- In 2003, the Northeast Blackout spread because grid operators were unaware voltage levels were almost critical until cascading failure began. *(institutions)*
- Water boils at 99.97°C on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau due to lower atmospheric pressure, almost but not quite 100°C. *(physics)*

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