>[!warning] >This content has not been peer reviewed. The Signal is what a [[System]] is trying to maintain. It is the "request" — the ideal, noiseless structure that would exist if the [[Format]] had infinite resources. In everyday terms: when you remember a face, the Signal is the perfect image. When a galaxy holds its stars in orbit, the Signal is the Newtonian gravitational field generated by the visible mass. The Signal is always what *should* happen, before the [[Format]] gets involved. The Signal is never observed directly. What you observe is the [[Workload]] — the [[Format]]'s actual response to the request. The relationship between Signal and [[Workload]] is mediated by [[Fidelity]]. --- ## RST Formalization **Symbol:** $I$ **Logic:** $I$ is the source field — the input to the [[Resource Allocation Equation]]. It represents the structure that the [[Format]] is being asked to render. **Dual role:** (1) **Forward problem:** $I$ is the *input* (e.g. $g_N = GM/r^2$); given $I$ and $N$, one solves for $\Omega$. (2) **Inverse / equilibrium:** When $\Omega$ and $W$ are known (e.g. from observation), $I$ is the *derived projection* $I = \Omega^2/W$ — not an independent input. So $I$ is either prescribed (the "request") or computed from the triangle state; the same relation $I = \Omega \cdot \mu$ holds in both views. --- ## In the Equation **"The Blueprint"** ($I$) In the [[Resource Allocation Equation]] $I = \Omega \cdot \mu$, $I$ is the left-hand side — the source that generates the [[Workload]]. In gravity, $I = g_N = GM/r^2$ (Newtonian acceleration). In electromagnetism, $I = E_N$ (Coulomb field). --- ## In the Triangle $I$ is not a side of the [[Resource Triangle]]. It is the **projection** of [[Workload]] ($\Omega$) onto the [[Total Budget]] ($W$): $I = \frac{\Omega^2}{W}$ This means: the observed force ($\Omega$) is the geometric mean of the Signal ($I$) and the [[Total Budget]] ($W$). The blueprint is what remains after the [[Format]] has allocated its resources. --- ## Applied: energy-driven source In **simulations** (e.g. the [[Reality Engine (RST)]]), the effective source $I$ can be made **state-dependent** so that low-energy (stable) configurations receive higher $I$ and thus higher [[Fidelity]] $\mu$. The minimal RST-consistent choice is an additive **signal bonus** $\alpha(E_{\mathrm{ref}} - E)$: lower $E$ $\Rightarrow$ higher $I_{\mathrm{eff}}$ $\Rightarrow$ higher $\mu$, with the Resource Triangle unchanged. See [[Energy input (RST)]] for the derivation and implementation.