Tipping point

A tipping point is a critical threshold, like a ball precisely positioned at the top of a hill that could easily roll in either direction. The boiling and freezing points of water are both tipping points.

When a system is at a tipping point, very small changes can affect it in very significant ways. For example, at most temperatures, water remains liquid and ice remains ice — stable equilibrium is maintained in either case — but when the temperature hits the freezing point, small changes in temperature are enough to change the system dramatically from one state to another.

A tipping point is a time and place of instability and opportunity, where small nudges can have outsized impact.

Does your situation feel like you are nearing a tipping point? What are the signs? Can you find a time and place where a small nudge can make a big difference?

See also: Snowball effect, Escape velocity, Momentum, Pendulum, Switch, Transformation.

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