# key (tool)

a piece of material that is formed into a shape and can be put in a device

- Computed level: L10 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: tool  ·  Arena: key.tool

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [piece](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-piece.portion), [material](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-material.physical), [form](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-form.shape), [device](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-device.tool), [put](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-put.placement), [shape](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-shape.geometric)

**Through:** the piece of material is formed into a shape that can be put in a device

**Novel properties:**
- compatibility with a device's mechanism
- capacity to actuate controlled access
- physical key-device fit through shaped alignment

## Examples
- The bronze Yale key from 1865 opened the front door of the New Haven workshop nightly. *(engineering)*
- In 1971, a plastic RFID key fob granted access to the Xerox PARC research lab after hours. *(computing)*
- A steel skeleton key once turned the lock on the cell door at Kilmainham Gaol in Dublin. *(institutions)*

## Used by
- [password](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-password.security) (L11)

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