inscrtbilis

Inscrtbilis is a fictional measure used in speculative discussions of information preservation. It denotes the capacity of an inscription or data carrier to retain legibility and interpretable meaning over extended times despite physical or contextual degradation.

Origin and scope: Coined in late 21st-century theoretical literature, inscrtbilis encompasses physical durability, readability, and interpretability of context. It has been used primarily in thought experiments about long-term archives, space exploration, and digital archaeology.

Definition and calculation: The inscrtbilis score is a dimensionless index, combining factors such as material stability, redundancy, error tolerance, environmental resilience, and the feasibility of data recovery. It is not a universal standard but a comparative tool; higher scores indicate greater longevity under specified conditions.

Applications and limitations: In fiction and design, inscrtbilis guides the selection of medium and encoding schemes for durable inscriptions. It is limited by reliance on hypothetical assumptions about future technology, contexts, and the unpredictable nature of degradation processes.

See also: Conceptual constructs in information preservation.