# process (general)

A set of changes that occur in something over time.

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

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

**Through:** Changes occur in time together as events, grouped into a coherent pattern over time.

**Novel properties:**
- temporal sequence
- structured change
- emergent coherence

## Examples
- The Mississippi River delta grows by 100 square kilometers per century due to sediment deposition from seasonal floods. *(geology)*
- The Linux kernel evolved from 10,000 lines of code in 1991 to over 28 million lines by 2023 through distributed development. *(computing)*
- The Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 restructured European sovereignty, ending the Thirty Years' War and formalizing state borders. *(institutions)*

## Used by
- [ability](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-ability.capacity) (L19)
- [analysis](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-analysis.method) (L10)
- [application](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-application.use) (L10)
- [computer](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-computer.digital) (L11)
- [court](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-court.legal) (L17)
- [game](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-game.playful) (L11)
- [learn](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-learn.cognitive) (L7)
- [look](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-look.visual) (L15)
- [measurement](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-measurement.quantitative) (L12)
- [power](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-power.energy) (L19)
- [solution](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-solution.answer) (L10)
- [study](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-study.learning) (L11)
- [subject](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-subject.entity) (L5)
- [technology](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-technology.tool) (L8)
- [training](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-training.skill) (L22)
- [treatment](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-treatment.medical) (L13)
- [verb](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-verb.grammatical) (L12)
- [wireless](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-wireless.electrical) (L11)

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