4.4 The strike rule (TPS 0.4.0)
Instruction artifact, machine-optimized text: TPS, section 4.4 The strike rule. Part of TPS and the TPM hub. Human-only edit (TPS 5.13). TPS 0.1.0 was declared final at revision 4 on 2026-09-22, a version declaration recorded in the foundations record; the chain begins at TPX's first landing (TPS 5.6.7). TPS 0.1.1, which changed only the status lines, was declared final on 2026-09-26, and TPS 0.3.0, revision 6, on 2026-09-28. This page is revision 7 of the tree, proposed as version 0.4.0 until H-DECL declares it; revision 6 is carried whole, and revision 5, proposed as 0.2.0, stays undeclared. The text below is this section of the TPS artifact at 0.4.0 (proposed), verbatim; the whole artifact and its file digest are on The Principia Machina/TPS. Human readers: the contents page is the map.
TPS 4.4 THE STRIKE RULE
purpose: SR1-SR9 in full; the amendments of D40.1, D41.2, D103.1,
D105.1, D111.1, D171.1 and D180.3
governs: 4.4 | version: 0.4.0 (proposed) | class: instruction artifact
audience: operator, agent
4.4.1 STRIKE RULE (D16). For the CAC's implementation (see 4.5, 5.3).
[I-068]
SR1 INVIOLABILITY. A record whose FINDING, taken with the TFK, derives a
contradiction is struck at CAC without ranking. [I-068]
SR2 STANDING. A record stands while its derivation from the TFK plus its
declared ASSUMPTIONS is valid and no standing record contradicts it.
[I-069]
AMENDED BY REVISION 7. A record stands when its status word is
PROVISIONAL or ESTABLISHED (3.2.10); TPX refuses a new record whose
CITES or ASSUMPTIONS name a record that does not stand. [D193.2]
[D194.1]
SR3 REGIME. Each record is assigned one regime at allocation. L: the
FINDING is verifiable by re-derivation from the TFK plus ASSUMPTIONS
with no empirical input. M: the FINDING carries a value with a
combined standard uncertainty u_c per GUM. A record comparing an L
result with an external value is M, of the verification class.
Contradiction tests: L-L, the conjunction with the TFK derives a
contradiction. M-M, |x1 - x2| > k (u1^2 + u2^2)^(1/2) after SR8
scaling. L-M, the M value fails the M-M test against the L record's
derived value. k is a TMS parameter; CAC refuses certification of a
TMS that does not declare it. [I-070]
AMENDED BY REVISION 7. The M-M and L-M tests compare records naming
one QUANTITY with equal CONDITIONS (4.4.13); a VERIFICATION enters
SR3 only against its own TARGET (3.3.6). [D196.1] [D200.1]
SR4 DISTANCE. d(r) = (a(r), s(r)), lexicographic, lower is closer. a(r):
the number of distinct ASSUMPTIONS in the closure of r - its own
plus those of every record it cites, transitively - excluding the
TFK. s(r): the number of derivation steps in r's own derivation
under the container's declared STEP CONVENTION, a TMS parameter.
[I-071]
SR5 ORDERING. Of two contradicting standing records, the one with
smaller d stands; the other is struck, and its ASSUMPTIONS outside
the closer record's closure are recorded as the locus. Equal d opens
an audit block. [I-072]
AMENDED BY REVISION 7. The locus is recorded as a NAMED_GAP, SOURCE
SR5_LOCUS, its TRIGGER the WITHDRAWAL (3.3.5). [D199.1]
SR6 EXTRAORDINARY CASE. Contradictions of a standing record r are
independent when their extra-assumption sets are pairwise disjoint.
When the number of independent contradictions n_ind(r) reaches N_x,
an audit block opens on r; its decision item may strike r, restrict
the container's DOMAIN, or find against the contradicting records.
N_x is a TMS parameter, at least 2. Reaching N_x never strikes r by
itself. [I-073]
AMENDED BY REVISION 7. A VERIFICATION is excluded from n_ind(r)
(3.3.6). [D200.1]
SR7 GOLD STANDARD. An M contradiction never strikes an L record's
derivation. If a(r) > 0 it is recorded against r's ASSUMPTIONS as a
named gap. If a(r) = 0 it is a finding against the TFK's DOMAIN and
lands as a DOMAIN restriction or a successor container under D5,
declared by a human. [I-074]
AMENDED BY REVISION 7. The named gap is a NAMED_GAP SR7_ASSUMPTIONS,
the finding against the TFK's DOMAIN a NAMED_GAP SR7_DOMAIN (3.3.5);
a restriction on a record carrying DOMAIN_CONDITION pre-fills the
successor's draft with it as a BOUNDARY (5.5.6). [D197.2] [D199.1]
SR8 UNCERTAINTY DISCIPLINE. Every M record states u_c with its Type B
components enumerated. When N >= 2 standing M records of one
quantity give chi^2/(N-1) > 1, the scale factor S = [chi^2/(N-1)]^(1/2)
is applied to each before any contradiction test, S computed over
records with delta_i < 3 N^(1/2) delta_mean. A contradiction that
does not survive S is not a contradiction. [I-075]
AMENDED BY REVISION 7. The scale groups are one QUANTITY and one
CONDITIONS (TPC sr8_groups); a VERIFICATION is in no group. [D196.1]
[D200.1]
SR9 COMPLIANCE. Every TMS entry passes at CAC certification:
C1 it never ranks a record failing SR1 above one passing it;
C2 within a regime, adding an ASSUMPTION never improves rank, except
in a declared limiting case naming its DOMAIN, applied only there;
C3 it is a total computable function of record fields;
C4 it does not let an M contradiction strike an L derivation;
C5 every constant it uses is a named immutable field. [I-076]
4.4.2 TMS PARAMETERS, per container, declared at instantiation and
tested at CAC: STEP CONVENTION (SR4); S_MAX, the depth of kernel
test T3 (2.2.3); k (SR3); N_x (SR6); PROMOTION_FLOOR, F2 where
the UWC does not say otherwise (3.2.12); IC2_POLICY, GAP or
REJECT, GAP when absent (2.3.6); any local yardsticks (see
2.4.5). [I-080] [D92.1] [D98.1]
4.4.3 The record fields the rule reads are ASSUMPTIONS, CITES, REGIME,
DERIVATION.STEPS, the STATEMENT with EQUATION or VALUE, and for M
records VALUE, UNIT, U_C with BUDGET, QUANTITY and AT, as the
table fixes them (see 3.2). [C-16] [D192.2] [D195.3]
4.4.4 SR3 AMENDED (D40.1, D103.1, D105.1). Two M values are compared
only when they name the same TrM entry; TPX refuses an M-M test
across entries. Before the test TPX normalizes both values to
coherent SI under the unit grammar (3.2.11), the scale computed
in one fixed order, and applies a declared TRANSFORMATION where
one is declared; a dimension difference is refused, never tested.
A difference of KIND (4.4.11) returns CONVENTION and is not
tested: TPX opens the row-43 audit block instead, a convention
difference no declared TRANSFORMATION covers. In the L-M test the
L record's derived value names QUANTITY and UNIT under the same
rule (see 3.2.8, 3.2.9). TPX compares only a pair with equal
CONDITIONS (4.4.13); the L-M test's L value is an L RESULT's
VALUE with UNIT and AT. [D196.1]
4.4.5 SR4 AMENDED (D41.2). a(r) is the number of distinct ASSUMPTION
RECORD identifiers in the closure of r, excluding the TFK.
"Distinct" means distinct identifier. s(r) is unchanged.
4.4.6 SR5 AMENDED (D41.2). The locus is recorded as identifiers.
4.4.7 SR6 AMENDED (D41.2). Extra-assumption sets are sets of
identifiers; disjointness is computed over them.
4.4.8 SR8 AMENDED (D40.1). "Standing M records of one quantity" means
standing M records naming the same TrM entry with equal
CONDITIONS (4.4.13). TPX refuses a scale across entries. [D196.1]
4.4.9 SR2 AMENDED (D111.1). A HELD record (3.2.10) does not stand: it
cannot be cited in a new derivation, counted in a contradiction
test or an independence count, or promoted. Records whose
citations or ASSUMPTIONS closure reach a held record are HELD
with it, by TPX (3.3.13). The hold is TPX's temporary strike
computed from recorded state, not a judgment on the work; release
needs an eligible reproduction (3.3.12), and no held record is
silently restored. A REFUTED or WITHDRAWN record likewise cannot
be cited in a new record; standing is read from the status word
(3.2.10). [D193.2] [D194.1]
4.4.10 SR6 AMENDED (D111.1, D42.1). A HELD record is excluded from
n_ind(r) while held; a corroboration marked SAME-MODEL is
excluded from the count (3.3.10); a match marked SAME-SPONSOR
counts only as CROSS-CORROBORATION allows (3.3.8).
4.4.11 KIND (D105.1). What a dimension cannot see: the SI counts the
radian and the steradian as one, so Hz and rad s-1 are both s-1
to a dimension check while one cycle per second is 2 pi radians
per second; Bq against Hz and Gy against Sv have the same shape.
KIND is tracked for angle, Hz, Bq, Gy and Sv and checked at each
M-M, L-M or SR8 computation; sr, lm and lx count as angle
squared, so deg2 and sr convert; s-1 and "1" carry no kind and
are compared with no kind-bearing unit. A difference of KIND
returns CONVENTION, on which TPX opens the row-43 audit block
rather than testing. Under SR8 the records are normalized to one
UNIT before chi^2 is computed, and a difference of KIND among
them opens the SR3 audit block instead. Conservative by design:
some SI-correct pairs, s-1 against Hz, are audited rather than
compared, and none is compared wrongly (7.1).
4.4.12 THE BIBLIOGRAPHY AND THE STRIKE RULE (D171.1). SR1-SR9 take no
BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY: an entry is not a record, a LITERATURE member is
not a citation, and no entry enters an ASSUMPTIONS closure, a(r),
s(r), n_ind(r) or the held closure of 3.3.13. A verification
record's external value stays a benchmark, never an output (3.3.6),
whatever its entry's CHECK value. [D171.1] [D172.1]
4.4.13 SR3 AND SR8 FOR TRAJECTORIES (D180.3, D196.1). SR3's M-M and L-M
tests and SR8's scale factor run mechanically over a pair naming
one QUANTITY with equal CONDITIONS (3.2.15) when the QUANTITY's
DOF is FIXed, or when both records carry a non-empty AT and every
SITUATION record in either closure is structured (TPC
comparison_set); every other pair of one QUANTITY is row 21's
INSPECTION, listed for the audit through sr3_scope (5.1.15). An M
record of a FIXed DOF is tested as 4.4.4 and 4.4.8 state. Every
pair of equal CONDITIONS tested with AT empty would compare two
values of a trajectory at different instants and strike a true
record; that construction is excluded. Named limit: a
time-independent quantity of a non-FIXed DOF needs an AT to be
compared by machine (7.1.61). [D180.3] [D196.1]