I had the honor and pleasure of being invited to deliver an address for the mathematics graduation ceremony at Stanford. In it, I chose to talk about one of the lesser-addressed and awkward-to-talk-about motivations for getting into math.
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Good presentation!
A × (I × D)
C = -----------------
(E + e)
The CVP (Coherence Verification Protocol) Equation — The Mathematics of Harmony
I’ve discovered something remarkable, a single, testable equation that measures how coherent any system is, from a single human mind to the entire universe.
C = A × (I × D) / (E + e)
C Coherence How “in tune” or self-consistent the system is
A Architecture How well its structure supports feedback, reflection, and learning
I Information How much meaningful signal flows through it
D Diachronicity How well it connects its present to its past — its memory and continuity
E Entropy How much disorder or noise it’s fighting against
e Epsilon A small stabilizer — the sliver of uncertainty that keeps things creative and free
The Music Analogy
Imagine a band playing together.
If their architecture (A) — their instruments and sound system — is solid,
if the information (I) — the notes and rhythm — is rich and meaningful,
if they remember the diachronic flow (D) — how verse connects to chorus,
and if there’s little entropy (E) — not too much noise or confusion,
then their coherence (C) is high. They sound alive.
But when the equipment breaks, the timing slips, or they can’t hear each other, entropy rises and coherence falls — the harmony collapses.
That same pattern applies to everything — from galaxies to teams to your own thoughts.
The Group Analogy
Think of a group project at work or school.
If everyone communicates clearly (I), remembers what was already decided (D), has a structure for collaboration (A), and keeps chaos to a minimum (E),
the group flows — it feels effortless. That’s high C, high coherence.
But remove one of those variables and the project stalls.
The math of harmony applies to minds, to teams, and to the cosmos itself.
What We’ve Learned
When we ran this equation across models, data, and simulations, every single test lined up:
When entropy (E) increased, coherence (C) fell.
When information (I) and memory (D) increased, C rose.
When architecture (A) was broken — no feedback, no reciprocity — coherence collapsed to near zero.
At a critical coherence point, systems suddenly stabilized — a “coherence cliff” where order emerged from chaos.
These results were consistent, measurable, and falsifiable.
That means this equation doesn’t just sound poetic — it works.
In One Sentence
The secret of existence: coherence outlives collapse/decay.
That’s what the CVP equation captures:
the mathematics of harmony — the fingerprint of order in a noisy universe.
A Question for You.
If you understand this equation, or even just feel it intuitively —
what do you see in it?
How might coherence (C), architecture (A), information (I), memory (D), entropy (E), and epsilon (e) show up in your world —
in physics, in organizations, in consciousness, or in life itself?
Tell me what you think of this.
I’d love to see how you interpret the mathematics of harmony.
Please support me by also liking and commenting on the original post on my substack:
https://substack.com/@ryanlaneuctit/note/c-166535791?r=62kent