# holes (empty-regions)

Spaces where matter is not, but which are within or surrounded by matter that defines a boundary.

- Computed level: L7 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: physical  ·  Arena: space.extent

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [space](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-space.extent), [boundary](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-boundary.limit), [matter](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-matter.substance), [defines](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-defines.verb), [surrounded](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-surrounded.enclosed)

**Through:** Matter arranges to form boundaries around regions of space, excluding matter from within them.

**Novel properties:**
- enclosed emptiness
- defined void
- boundary-contained absence

## Examples
- The void inside a soap bubble is bounded by a thin film of soapy water, forming a spherical empty region in air. *(physics)*
- The atrium in the Centre Pompidou in Paris is an open space enclosed by structural walls and floors, defining a vertical hole through six levels. *(architecture)*
- A cache miss in the L3 cache of an Intel Core i9-13900K processor leaves a temporary data hole during CPU execution. *(computing)*

## Used by
- [golf](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-golf.sport) (L15)
- [plug](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-plug.electrical) (L8)
- [socket](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-socket.electrical) (L9)
- [thread](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-thread.material) (L18)
- [unoccupied](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-unoccupied.spatial) (L9)
- [windows](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-windows.opening) (L10)

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