Convergence
Definition A definition. Whether a given node actually integrates its inputs this way is an empirical question for each node.
Source: Style sheet v22 §1.1 (source of record: Substrate §2)
Definition (canon)
Multiple inputs — signalling, mechanical, load — integrated at one node, so the node's state reflects the sum of upstream conditions rather than any one.
In plain words
Several things push on the same point, and the point responds to the total, not to whichever push you were watching.
It is not
- A single cause. A node that reads one input is not convergent.
- The branch decision. Convergence is what arrives at the node. The branch decision is what the node then does (see branch decision).
What would defeat it
- Follows from the definition. A node whose state is fully explained by one upstream input, with the others making no measurable difference.