# red flag (warning)

*Ordinarily means:* a sign that something is wrong or risky

a small sign that a model has been wrong for longer than it has been reporting

- Computed level: L16 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: social dynamics  ·  Arena: model and trust

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [model](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-model.representation), [error](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-error.mistake), [time](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-time.dimension), [notice](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-notice.perceptual), [trust](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-trust.reliance)

**Through:** trust

**Novel properties:**
- delayed recognition of model failure
- erosion of trust in established patterns

## Examples
- The Therac-25 radiation therapy machine delivered lethal overdoses after safety flags were ignored for months. *(engineering)*
- Lehman Brothers reported consistent profits while hiding growing exposure to subprime mortgages in its quarterly filings. *(economics)*
- The Mars Climate Orbiter disintegrated in the atmosphere due to uncorrected unit confusion in navigation data. *(computing)*

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