# first (order)

the thing that is before every other thing in a set

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

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [time](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-time.dimension), [difference](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-difference.relation), [sets](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-sets.grouped)

**Through:** Applying the before relation of time to distinguish one thing from all others in a set creates an earliest position.

**Novel properties:**
- firstness
- temporal precedence within a collection
- uniqueness by ordering

## Examples
- The Big Bang initiated the expansion of the universe 13.8 billion years ago, preceding all known cosmic events. *(physics)*
- In 2008, the first Bitcoin block, Block 0, was mined by Satoshi Nakamoto, starting the blockchain ledger. *(computing)*
- The Magna Carta, sealed in 1215, stands as the first constitutional limitation on the power of the English monarchy. *(institutions)*

## Used by
- [cusp](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-cusp.threshold) (L14)
- [double](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-double.quantity) (L5)
- [front](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-front.spatial) (L15)
- [homepage](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-homepage.web) (L17)
- [monday](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-monday.temporal) (L10)
- [original](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-original.first) (L5)
- [primary](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-primary.importance) (L11)
- [wealth](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-wealth.range) (L11)

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