Phase Transition

A system absorbing or emitting energy to change states (ice → water), used in Critical States as the governing metaphor for nonlinear, tipping-point change. The dynamics of criticality are counterintuitive: cold water and about-to-freeze water look identical, but microscopically the latter is full of tiny ice crystals — one degree from a solid mesh.

Context: In physics, a phase transition is a change between states of matter (solid, liquid, gas) driven by energy and temperature. The concept is borrowed widely as a metaphor for sudden, system-wide shifts that follow long periods of apparent stability.

Where this appears

• Critical States — the central physics metaphor for criticality and tipping-point change, sourced from Cesar Hidalgo and Why Information Grows.