Competence Formula Visualized

Expert opinions carry more weight, but only in their domains.

The ΔC Formula

PAAS competence isn't static — it's calculated continuously through the Delta C (ΔC) formula, which combines multiple signals into a dynamic W_S score.

Core Components

Activity Gravity (G)

Measures recency and frequency of contributions. Recent activity carries more weight than historical activity. This prevents "competence hoarding" — past achievements don't indefinitely sustain influence.

Responder Score (S_r)

Quality of responses to others' work. When John reviews a protocol proposal, his review quality is assessed by whether subsequent auditors agree with his assessment. High-quality reviewers gain more weight.

Competence Weight (w_r,d)

Expert opinions carry more weight, but only in their domains. A cryptography expert's opinion on protocol security carries more weight than their opinion on community management. This is domain-specific, not general.

Circle Multiplier (M_r,d)

Context-specific adjustments based on the Circle's needs. A Security Circle may weight security expertise more heavily than a Community Circle would.

Volatility (K_u,d)

Measures how quickly competence scores can change. High volatility means scores respond rapidly to new information; low volatility means scores are more stable. Different domains may require different volatility settings.

The Integration

These components combine into the ΔC calculation:

ΔC = G × S_r × w_r,d × M_r,d × K_u,d

The result feeds into W_S, which combines with W_H to produce W_Effective — the actual weight used in governance voting.

Why This Matters

This formula achieves what simple reputation systems cannot:

• Domain specificity — Expertise is weighted by relevance
• Temporal dynamics — Recent performance matters more than past glory
• Quality assessment — Not just activity, but quality of contribution
• Context sensitivity — Different Circles can weight differently
• Anti-gaming — Multiple overlapping signals make manipulation difficult

Expert opinions carry more weight, but only in their domains.

Also see: Dual Competence | Efficiency Analysis | PAAS Framework