# capacity (size)

the maximum load that a thing can have while its parameter stays inside the window

- Computed level: L11 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: capacity

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [parameter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-parameter.condition), [window](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-window.range), [wall](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-wall.range-end), [inside](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-inside.spatial), [persist](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-persist.continue), [time](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-time.dimension)

**Through:** The condition of a thing changes over time, and its parameter moves within a range; when the parameter reaches the end of the window, the thing no longer persists; the capacity is the greatest load the thing can bear while still remaining within that window.

**Novel properties:**
- maximum sustainable load
- threshold of persistence
- temporal endurance under condition

## Examples
- The Fukushima Daiichi plant's cooling system failed when tsunami waves exceeded the 5.7-meter seawall, flooding backup generators. *(engineering)*
- The 2020 Beirut port explosion occurred after 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate exceeded safe storage limits over six years. *(institutions)*
- The Bitcoin network processes about 7 transactions per second, constrained by the 1-megabyte block size limit. *(computing)*

## Used by
- [ability](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-ability.capacity) (L19)
- [burnout](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-burnout.capacity) (L19)
- [health](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-health.condition) (L19)
- [hot](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-hot.temperature) (L19)
- [maxed out](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-maxed-out.threshold) (L19)
- [plate is full](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-plate-is-full.capacity) (L14)
- [power](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-power.energy) (L19)
- [store](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-store.place) (L12)
- [stretched thin](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-stretched-thin.capacity) (L19)
- [surplus](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-surplus.excess) (L19)

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