---
slug: "ScoringFunction"
name: "ScoringFunction"
type: "Data Structures"
layer: "Infrastructure"
ref: "ScoringFunction#c604"
sema_id: "sema:ScoringFunction#mh:SHA-256:c6042940db8c3238b948c7851aa315defbe31e1639dba718fcce0e38523e8d50"
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/ScoringFunction/
related: ["Value","Judge","Rank"]
---

# ScoringFunction

Deterministic valuation logic

Layer: Infrastructure · Category: Data Structures

## Mechanism

A deterministic logical unit that maps an input artifact to a scalar [Value](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Value.md) (Score). Encapsulates ranking and evaluation criteria as a first-class Noun, so callers can pass the scoring logic as an input rather than embed it inline in their own mechanism.

## Invariants

- Determinism: same input always yields the same score.
- Output falls within the declared `output_range`.

## Failure modes

—

## Data schema

```json
{
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "function_id",
    "input_type",
    "output_range"
  ],
  "properties": {
    "function_id": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Unique identifier for this scoring function"
    },
    "input_type": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Expected input schema or type"
    },
    "output_range": {
      "type": "object",
      "properties": {
        "min": {
          "type": "number"
        },
        "max": {
          "type": "number"
        }
      },
      "description": "Valid output range"
    },
    "logic": {
      "type": "string",
      "description": "Description or reference to scoring logic"
    }
  }
}
```

## Builds on

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

## Used by

- [Judge](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Judge.md) (Infrastructure; Accepts)
- [Rank](https://mindscape.pages.dev/bootstrap/Rank.md) (Infrastructure; Accepts)

## Identity

- Sema ID: `sema:ScoringFunction#mh:SHA-256:c6042940db8c3238b948c7851aa315defbe31e1639dba718fcce0e38523e8d50`
- Ref: `ScoringFunction#c604`
- Supersedes:
  - `sema:ScoringFunction#mh:SHA-256:3de5b5abe572e4e8cd6c0d4ecc55889fd157f66fdab01b399c0eae0cbca0a99d`
  - `sema:ScoringFunction#mh:SHA-256:932eb89612c9b1e99ca1d6d66adf15bd8544505bc46059da946cb71aa52e23ec`

## Links

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