# contingency (dependence)

resting on a parameter that could have drifted otherwise and did not

- Computed level: L12 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: emergence  ·  Arena: window ontology

## 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), [drift](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-drift.aimless)

**Through:** relations: [],  lexicon_forms [ 

**Novel properties:**
- unique_properties_feature1
- unique_properties_feature2

## Examples
- The International Space Station maintains orbit at 400 km, requiring regular boosts to counter atmospheric drag. *(engineering)*
- The 2008 financial crisis erupted when mortgage-backed securities collapsed as housing prices drifted beyond sustainable levels. *(economics)*
- The Cambrian explosion followed a rise in oceanic phosphate levels, enabling rapid diversification of multicellular life. *(biology)*

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