1.2 KiB
1.2 KiB
ADR-CE-011: Residual = Contradiction Energy
Status: Accepted Date: 2026-01-22 Parent: ADR-014 Coherence Engine Architecture
Context
The edge residual r_e = ρ_u(x_u) - ρ_v(x_v) measures local mismatch. This mathematical quantity needs a universal interpretation across domains.
Decision
Residual = contradiction energy - universal interpretation across domains.
The residual represents:
- AI Agents: Logical contradiction between belief and evidence
- Finance: Regime mismatch between positions
- Medical: Clinical disagreement between vitals and diagnosis
- Robotics: Physical impossibility between sensor and plan
- Security: Authorization violation between permission and action
The weighted residual norm |r_e|² is always "how much these two things disagree."
Consequences
Benefits
- Universal semantics: "disagreement" makes sense everywhere
- Quantitative: larger residual = bigger problem
- Localizable: can identify which edges contribute most
Risks
- Restriction map design determines what "disagreement" means
- Poor maps give meaningless residuals
References
- ADR-014: Coherence Engine Architecture
- ADR-CE-009: Single Coherence Object