# requirements (obligation)

a condition that is required

- Computed level: L7 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: requirements

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [condition](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-condition.state), [required](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-required.obligation)

**Through:** the condition and required together become a state that must be

**Novel properties:**
- mandatory status
- obligated state

## Examples
- The International Space Station requires continuous reboosts to maintain orbit, or it would deorbit within months. *(engineering)*
- California's 2020 building code requires homes to include solar panels, or face penalties during inspection. *(institutions)*
- Neurons require a resting potential of -70mV to fire action potentials; without it, neural communication fails. *(biology)*

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