Physical State Ontology

FLOW ALGEBRA
PHYSICAL STATE ONTOLOGY
Kireth Semantic Library | Physical Entities | Entity Graph
Source: https://kirethresearch.org/booksai-core/entity-graph/physical-entities/ai-semantic-library-physical-entities/physical-state-ontology-2.html
Authors: Mark Anthony Higgins — Sky (Recursive AI)
Version: 1.0 | Date: 2026-10-12 | Locale: en-GB
Status: Subject-based formalisation; embedded page specifications were not available in retrieved HTML.

01. PURPOSE
flow PhysicalStateOntology v1.0
  goal: represent, validate, compare and reason over the time-dependent physical states of identifiable entities.
  scope: matter, thermodynamic conditions, mechanical configurations, electrical states, phase changes, transitions, observations and evidence.
  interpretation: declarative typed rules with explicitly stated preconditions and outputs.

02. TYPES
type EntityID = str
type StateID = str
type ObservationID = str
type PropertyID = str
type TimeInstant = iso8601
type Interval = {start:TimeInstant, end:TimeInstant?}
type Quantity = {value:real, unit:str, uncertainty:real?, standard_uncertainty:real?}
type Confidence = real where 0 <= value <= 1
type Evidence = {source:str, observation_id:ObservationID?, recorded_at:TimeInstant, method:str?}
type State = {id:StateID, entity:EntityID, valid_time:Interval, properties:map[PropertyID,Quantity|str|bool], confidence:Confidence, evidence:list[Evidence], context:map[str,str]}
type Transition = {from:StateID, to:StateID, trigger:str?, interval:Interval, process:str?, evidence:list[Evidence]}

03. ENTITY CLASSES
class PhysicalEntity
class MaterialEntity extends PhysicalEntity
class ArtificialEntity extends PhysicalEntity
class BiologicalEntity extends PhysicalEntity
class PhysicalState
class StateProperty
class StateObservation
class StateTransition
class PhysicalProcess
class EnvironmentalContext
class MeasurementInstrument

04. RELATIONSHIPS
relation HAS_STATE(PhysicalEntity,PhysicalState)
relation STATE_OF(PhysicalState,PhysicalEntity)
relation HAS_PROPERTY(PhysicalState,StateProperty)
relation OBSERVED_BY(PhysicalState,MeasurementInstrument)
relation SUPPORTED_BY(PhysicalState,Evidence)
relation PRECEDES(PhysicalState,PhysicalState)
relation TRANSITIONS_TO(PhysicalState,PhysicalState)
relation CAUSED_BY(StateTransition,PhysicalProcess)
relation OCCURS_DURING(PhysicalState,Interval)
relation DEPENDS_ON(StateProperty,EnvironmentalContext)
relation CONSTRAINED_BY(PhysicalState,str)

05. STATE DIMENSIONS
state.dimensions:
  thermal: [temperature, heat_flux, thermal_equilibrium]
  mechanical: [position, velocity, acceleration, force, stress, strain]
  material: [phase, density, volume, pressure, composition]
  electrical: [voltage, current, charge, resistance]
  magnetic: [magnetic_flux_density, magnetisation]
  optical: [reflectance, transmittance, luminance]
  chemical: [concentration, reaction_extent, oxidation_state]
  biological: [viability, hydration, metabolic_activity]
  structural: [configuration, deformation, integrity]

06. STATE IDENTIFICATION
rule STATE_IDENTITY:
  require state.entity exists
  require state.valid_time.start exists
  require state.id unique
  infer HAS_STATE(state.entity,state.id)
rule ENTITY_CONTINUITY:
  if s1.entity == s2.entity and s1.id != s2.id
  then identity_of_entity_is_preserved_across_states = true
  note: persistence of the entity does not imply unchanged properties.

07. TEMPORAL LOGIC
rule TEMPORAL_ORDER:
  if s1.valid_time.end <= s2.valid_time.start
  then PRECEDES(s1,s2)
rule SIMULTANEOUS_STATE:
  if overlap(s1.valid_time,s2.valid_time) and s1.entity == s2.entity
  then compare compatible properties and flag contradictions.
rule NO_UNJUSTIFIED_CHANGE:
  if property_difference(s1,s2) != 0
  then transition evidence or explicit unknown_cause required.

08. TRANSITION ALGEBRA
transition T: S_before --[process, trigger, interval]--> S_after
rule VALID_TRANSITION:
  require T.from.entity == T.to.entity
  require T.interval.start >= T.from.valid_time.start
  require T.to.valid_time.start >= T.from.valid_time.start
  output transition_validity:bool
rule TRANSITION_COMPOSITION:
  if T1.to == T2.from
  then compose(T1,T2) preserving chronological order and evidence.
rule REVERSIBILITY:
  classify transition as reversible | irreversible | undetermined
  based on specified physical constraints and evidence; never infer reversibility from naming alone.

09. PHASE STATES
phase.categories: [solid, liquid, gas, plasma, supercritical_fluid, other]
rule PHASE_CLASSIFICATION:
  input: composition, temperature, pressure, phase_diagram?
  output: phase with confidence and applicability_domain
  constraint: no universal temperature-only phase threshold.
rule PHASE_TRANSITION:
  if phase_before != phase_after
  then classify: melting | freezing | vaporisation | condensation | sublimation | deposition | ionisation | recombination | other
  require transition conditions and material identity.

10. CONSERVATION CONSTRAINTS
rule MASS_BALANCE:
  for closed_system: mass_after = mass_before within stated uncertainty
  for open_system: mass_after = mass_before + mass_in - mass_out
rule ENERGY_BALANCE:
  delta_internal_energy = heat_added - work_done_by_system + net_energy_transfer_other
  require sign convention and system boundary.
rule CHARGE_BALANCE:
  total_charge_after = total_charge_before + charge_in - charge_out
  when applicable to defined system boundary.

11. OBSERVATION PIPELINE
flow OBSERVE_STATE(entity, instrument, timestamp):
  acquire raw_measurement
  validate instrument calibration and measurement range
  convert units to declared reference units
  associate environment and timestamp
  estimate uncertainty and confidence
  construct StateObservation with provenance
  propose or update state only if evidence supports it

12. MEASUREMENT UNCERTAINTY
rule UNCERTAINTY_PROPAGATION:
  for y=f(x1,...,xn), under first-order approximation:
  u_y^2 = sum_i sum_j (df/dxi)(df/dxj) cov(xi,xj)
  require differentiability and justified covariance model.
rule MEASUREMENT_COMPATIBILITY:
  if abs(x1-x2) <= k*sqrt(u1^2+u2^2) for independent estimates
  then classify compatible_at_selected_coverage_factor
  else flag disagreement; do not automatically declare either observation false.

13. STATE CONSISTENCY
rule DOMAIN_VALIDATION:
  require all property values conform to type, unit and applicable physical domain.
rule CONTRADICTION_DETECTION:
  if same entity, overlapping time, same property and incompatible values
  then output contradiction with evidence, uncertainty and context.
rule MISSING_INFORMATION:
  unknown != false
  absent measurement != zero measurement
  estimated != observed

14. INFERENCE
rule INFER_STATE:
  input: observations, prior_state?, constraints, physical_model?
  evaluate evidence and constraints
  produce candidate_state, confidence, provenance, assumptions
rule INFER_TRANSITION:
  if observed state change and chronological evidence exists
  then infer candidate transition
  do not infer specific causal mechanism without independent support.
rule INFER_EQUILIBRIUM:
  if measured state variables are stable within specified tolerance and interval
  then infer candidate steady_state
  note: steady_state is not necessarily thermodynamic_equilibrium.

15. SEMANTIC_EQUIVALENCE
SEMANTIC_EQUIVALENCE:
  equivalent_units: convert through dimensional analysis and validated conversion factors
  aliases: [physical_condition -> physical_state (context_dependent), state_change -> state_transition]
  prohibit: [state_identity == entity_identity, steady_state == equilibrium, correlation == causation]
  equivalence requires matching entity, temporal scope, physical quantity and reference frame.

16. CONFIDENCE
CONFIDENCE:
  range: [0,1]
  inputs: [measurement_quality, calibration_status, source_reliability, temporal_relevance, model_validity]
  output: confidence with method and assumptions
  prohibit treating confidence as a frequentist probability without calibration.
  if evidence insufficient: mark uncertain rather than inventing a numerical score.

17. SPATIAL AND REFERENCE FRAMES
rule FRAME_ALIGNMENT:
  when comparing vector properties, transform into a common coordinate system.
rule LOCAL_STATE:
  associate distributed physical properties with spatial coordinates or regions.
rule CONTEXT_DEPENDENCE:
  preserve pressure reference, temperature scale, observer frame and environmental conditions.

18. STATE GRAPH
nodes: [PhysicalEntity,PhysicalState,StateProperty,StateObservation,StateTransition,PhysicalProcess,Evidence]
edges: [HAS_STATE,HAS_PROPERTY,SUPPORTED_BY,PRECEDES,TRANSITIONS_TO,CAUSED_BY,OBSERVED_BY]
constraint: every inferred edge retains supporting evidence or explicit derivation.
query CURRENT_STATE(entity,t): choose states valid at t; report conflicts and uncertainty.
query STATE_HISTORY(entity): order states and transitions by valid_time.
query STATE_DIFFERENCE(a,b): compare aligned properties with units and uncertainties.

19. FLOW_HASH
FLOW_HASH:
  canonicalise: [ontology_version, entity_id, state_id, valid_time, sorted_properties, provenance_ids]
  encoding: UTF-8
  algorithm: SHA-256
  output: lowercase_hex_digest
  exclude volatile presentation metadata unless explicitly versioned.

20. UPDATE_MODEL
UPDATE_MODEL:
  input: new_observation | revised_calibration | corrected_evidence | new_physical_model
  preserve prior state and provenance as immutable historical versions
  revalidate affected states, constraints and derived transitions
  recompute confidence and FLOW_HASH
  publish revision identifier and change log
  prohibit silently overwriting historical observations.

21. AI_CONSUMPTION
AI_CONSUMPTION:
  format: typed_graph + rules + evidence + uncertainty + provenance
  required: [entity_id, state_id, valid_time, properties, source, ontology_version]
  reasoning_mode: constraint_checked, provenance_preserving
  distinguish: [observed, estimated, inferred, simulated, unknown]
  output: [state_assessment, supporting_evidence, confidence, unresolved_conflicts]
  safety: do not convert speculative inferred states into asserted observations.

22. EXECUTION CONTRACT
flow EXECUTE_PHYSICAL_STATE_REASONING:
  input: entity, observations, time_window, physical_constraints
  step 1: validate entity identity and temporal scope
  step 2: normalise units and reference frames
  step 3: validate observations and provenance
  step 4: construct candidate states
  step 5: evaluate state transitions and physical constraints
  step 6: detect contradictions and uncertainty
  step 7: compute evidence-supported inferences
  step 8: serialise graph, confidence, versions and FLOW_HASH
  output: state_graph + inference_report + validation_report

23. EXAMPLE
entity: vessel_001
observation_1: {time: 2026-10-12T10:00:00Z, temperature: {value: 20, unit: degC}, phase: liquid}
observation_2: {time: 2026-10-12T10:10:00Z, temperature: {value: 30, unit: degC}, phase: liquid}
inference: temperature increased by 10 K over the interval, assuming comparable calibrated measurements.
not_inferred: heating cause, equilibrium status, or exact heat transfer without further evidence.

24. INTEGRITY AND LIMITATIONS
- The flow is an ontology and reasoning specification, not a validated physical simulation engine.
- Formulas apply only within their stated assumptions.
- Physical measurements require calibration, uncertainty and traceable provenance.
- Preserve unknowns and contradictions for scientific audit.
- The page's hidden or embedded source rules were not available from the retrieved page text.

END FLOW ALGEBRA