amendmentCycle
plain-language theorem explainer
The definition fixes the consciousness-gap amendment cycle at the natural number 45. Jurisprudence models of precedent stability under σ-conservation cite this constant to bound constitutional amendment rates at one per 45 years. It is introduced as a direct numerical assignment with no further computation.
Claim. Let $T$ denote the consciousness-gap amendment cycle. Then $T = 45$ (in years).
background
The Precedent Stability from σ-Conservation module treats a Precedent as an object carrying a σ-weight (jurisdictional level: trial=1, appeal=2, supreme=3) and an age in years. A Corpus is a list of precedents whose total σ must remain conserved; the module proves that totalSigma is additive over concatenation and that overturning a precedent with σ ≥ 1 strictly decreases the total unless an equivalent replacement is supplied. The consciousness-gap frustration period supplies the time scale on which σ-conserving amendments are permitted without violating the conservation law imported from the Cost module.
proof idea
This declaration is a direct definition that assigns the natural number 45 to amendmentCycle.
why it matters
The constant supplies the denominator for maxAmendmentRate = 1/45 and enters PrecedentStabilityCert, which certifies that observed US substantive amendment rates remain below the predicted ceiling. It implements the gap-45 frustration period stated in the module doc-comment and aligns with the eight-tick octave (period 2^3) and phi-ladder gap structure of the Recognition framework. Downstream results such as maxAmendmentRate_eq and the US_substantive_rate comparison use it to confront historical data.
Switch to Lean above to see the machine-checked source, dependencies, and usage graph.