---
slug: "ProblemSpace"
name: "ProblemSpace"
type: "Data Structures"
layer: "Infrastructure"
ref: "ProblemSpace#b4ae"
sema_id: "sema:ProblemSpace#mh:SHA-256:b4ae92d26c5092dadcbba687e1e591960dfbf7689b04ef9cc5617f21b780ff28"
tags: ["Infrastructure","Data Structures"]
updated: 2026-11-11
mindscape: "bootstrap"
index_url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json
url: https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/ProblemSpace/
related: ["Constraint","Solution","State","RootSolver","SolverNode"]
---

# ProblemSpace

Bounded domain of a problem

Layer: Infrastructure · Category: Data Structures

## Mechanism

A defined region of the problem landscape, bounded by [Constraint](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Constraint.md)s and initial [State](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/State.md). It represents the domain within which a solver must operate to find a valid [Solution](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Solution.md).

## Invariants

- Boundedness: Must have defined constraints.
- Consistency: The space must not contain contradictory definitions.

## Failure modes

—

## Data schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "boundaries",
    "variables"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "domain": {
      "type": "string"
    },
    "boundaries": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      },
      "description": "Hard constraints (e.g. Physics, Law)"
    },
    "variables": {
      "type": "array",
      "items": {
        "type": "string"
      },
      "description": "Degrees of freedom available to change"
    },
    "constants": {
      "type": "object",
      "description": "Immutable facts"
    }
  }
}
```

## Builds on

- [Constraint](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Constraint.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [Solution](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Solution.md) (Infrastructure; References)
- [State](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/State.md) (Infrastructure; References)

## Used by

- [RootSolver](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/RootSolver.md) (Mind; References)
- [SolverNode](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/SolverNode.md) (Society; References)

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:ProblemSpace#mh:SHA-256:b4ae92d26c5092dadcbba687e1e591960dfbf7689b04ef9cc5617f21b780ff28`
- Ref: `ProblemSpace#b4ae`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:ProblemSpace#mh:SHA-256:78da7fef93c3a5e6a7728d30afcb0e8e9270493b23b36bd83acf2ee6977271d1`
  - `sema:ProblemSpace#mh:SHA-256:3d6d30545da39dcf29a6b27145e2d2ebc46159d4c783489ff8eeaf0d5d48f2b1`
  - `sema:ProblemSpace#mh:SHA-256:927aaa472dd0daacb3668cd4c21b82591f4530428f75f88a7d5386e65b072719`

## Links

- [Pattern page](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/ProblemSpace/)
- [View in the interactive graph](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/#ProblemSpace)
- [JSON](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/ProblemSpace.json)
- [Index of all patterns](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/index.json)