What are vibrators and amplifiers?
In this whole process, the individuals that are violating HSPs are the vibrators, i.e. those producing the disturbance, while the individuals that are exaggerating the effect are the amplifiers, i.e. the individuals that are already a burden on the society (for detail, see the section on the unjustified burden and its implications). Absorbers are those with increased participation, i.e. the ones surpassing their own burden (basically due to a High Endurance level). Amplifiers spread the shock further because, already being a burden, they add their own disturbance to it; absorbers calm it, because they bear the shock without passing it on (their high endurance lets them bear the stress). To understand this, let’s take an example of a family: when one member abandons his role (a vibrator), a member who is already dependent adds to the strain (an amplifier), while a caring member bears the strain and keeps the family calm (an absorber). (In practice, the spread of such a shock can be studied by mapping who depends on whom in a society (i.e. the chains) and then simulating how a disturbance travels along them; the amplifiers and absorbers show up on such a map.)
From The Destined Future (HSPs).
Vibrators, amplifiers and absorbers
The measure as written
Before the rules, under "An Individual", the individual is first pictured as a ring in a chain:
To understand this, let’s take an example of an iron chain stretched at both ends (each rectangular ring is an individual). Any movement in a single ring imparts a progressive disturbance all the way along the length of the chain, with the nearest rings bearing the brunt.
and under "Society, a stretched bunch of chains", the chains are the groups of the society:
A society is a bunch of such long, stretched iron chains, with different chains being the different groups of the society.
The violent shaking of a single chain (i.e. a group based upon ethnicity, views, affiliation etc.) can cause disturbance all through the surroundings.
In THE DESTINED FUTURE (HSPs), the Shock and Pad Theory takes up the same picture:
As discussed earlier, society is like a bunch of long, stretched iron chains, and the most basic unit is the ring (individual). Whenever there is a violation of a major natural phenomenon by an individual (ring), shock waves are produced (violent vibration of the ring) that travel all the way through the surroundings, and the integrity of the system is challenged.
Under "Vibrators, Amplifiers and Absorbers", it names who starts a shock, who spreads it and who calms it, and gives the measure: