# network (system)

A system that connects distinct entities so they can interact with each other.

- Computed level: L9 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: EmergenceLexicon

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [system](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-system.organized), [links](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-links.connection), [distinct](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-distinct.attribute), [connects](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-connects.verb), [entities](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-entities.object), [interacting](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-interacting.social), [interaction](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-interaction.process)

**Through:** The connects.verb relation joins entities.object via links.connection, enabling a structured system.organized in which distinct entities interact through mutual change.

**Novel properties:**
- mutual change between entities
- structured connectivity
- emergent interaction topology

## Examples
- The 2003 Northeast Blackout spread across 8 U.S. states and Ontario when overloaded power lines tripped, cascading failures through the grid. *(engineering)*
- The human brain's default mode network synchronizes activity across distant regions during rest, using white matter tracts as physical pathways. *(biology)*
- Bitcoin's peer-to-peer network validates transactions every 10 minutes across thousands of nodes, maintaining consensus without central authority. *(computing)*

## Used by
- [download](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-download.digital) (L10)
- [server](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-server.digital) (L18)

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