Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Voting power at bodies like the IMF still roughly reflects the economic order from decades ago, giving less voice to countries that now represent a huge share of the world's population. This mismatch fuels distrust in the fairness of global rule-making.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
countries
economic
developing
remain
underrepresented
institutions
set
rules
voting
philosophy-ethics
whether
mathematics-logic
have
determine
society-governance
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Treaties on climate, trade, and human rights rely on voluntary compliance, and countries that break them rarely face meaningful consequences. This makes international law more of a suggestion than a binding rule.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
international
agreements
have
real
way
force
country
keep
its
promises
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
don
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Rules protecting children online vary significantly by country and platform, leaving major gaps that put young users at risk. A more consistent global standard remains politically and technically difficult to establish.
climate-environment
global-unspecified
consistent
standard
protecting
children
online
don
have
international
different
platforms
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
determine
way
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Facial recognition is being deployed in policing, retail, and public spaces with vastly different rules depending on location, raising serious privacy and bias concerns. Consistent, fair regulation remains largely unbuilt.
society-governance
global-unspecified
fair
consistent
facial
recognition
don
have
way
regulate
technology
governments
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
determine
agreed
mathematics-logic
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Starting from any positive number and repeatedly applying a basic rule always seems to eventually reach the number one, but no proof confirms this holds for every possible starting point. Its simplicity contrasted with its difficulty has made it famous among mathematicians and hobbyists alike.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
rule
seems
always
haven
proven
collatz
conjecture
strikingly
simple
lead
whether
know
possible
every
mathematical
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Chaotic systems are famously sensitive to initial conditions, and whether their long-term patterns can ever be fully captured by simpler predictive rules remains an unresolved question in dynamical systems theory. This has real implications for weather prediction and other complex natural systems.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
whether
long-term
chaotic
rules
systems
haven
resolved
possible
always
predict
philosophy-ethics
know
society-governance
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Game theory has solved many two-player scenarios completely, but multiplayer games with shifting alliances and incomplete information remain far less understood in full generality. This unresolved question has real implications for economics and political strategy.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
strategy
multiplayer
games
don
know
whether
every
possible
complex
reduced
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
mathematics-logic
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some cellular automata, like simple grid-based rule systems, produce behavior so complex that no shortcut prediction method has been proven to exist beyond simply running the simulation. This unresolved question touches on computational irreducibility and the philosophy of prediction.
philosophy-ethics
global-unspecified
complex
cellular
shortcut
haven
determined
whether
possible
perfectly
predict
outcome
know
mathematics-logic
resolved
every
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some deterministic functions produce output so irregular it resembles randomness, and a complete classification of exactly which rules produce this behavior remains incomplete. This unresolved boundary connects number theory, chaos theory, and computer science.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
deterministic
don
know
whether
possible
fully
characterize
every
mathematical
function
haven
philosophy-ethics
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Certain recursively defined sequences appear statistically random for enormous stretches, yet whether hidden structure always eventually emerges remains an open and evolving question. This connects deeply to both number theory and the study of pseudorandomness.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
whether
always
eventually
don
know
digits
numbers
produced
simple
recursive
haven
philosophy-ethics
resolved
possible
every
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Complex systems in nature and mathematics often arise from remarkably simple starting rules, yet no unified theory fully explains or predicts when and how this complexity will emerge. This unresolved question bridges mathematics, physics, and biology.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
theory
fully
predicts
complexity
simple
rules
don
know
whether
possible
philosophy-ethics
haven
resolved
every
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Self-referential paradoxes have challenged logicians for over a century, and while specific paradoxes have been addressed with targeted fixes, no single unified framework has resolved every possible version. This unresolved tension remains central to the foundations of mathematical logic.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
resolved
every
possible
haven
whether
logical
paradox
fully
neutralized
some
philosophy-ethics
know
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
While average behavior is well understood statistically, predicting the exact factor count for any specific number without direct calculation remains fundamentally elusive. This unresolved question touches the probabilistic side of number theory.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
number
predicting
don
know
whether
possible
find
general
rule
exactly
haven
resolved
philosophy-ethics
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Formal proof systems capture enormous portions of mathematical reasoning, but whether a truly complete and finite rule set exists for absolutely every valid form of proof remains philosophically and technically unresolved. This touches the very foundations of what mathematics is capable of expressing.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
possible
proof
whether
complete
finite
set
every
valid
mathematical
haven
resolved
know
philosophy-ethics
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some patterns appear irregular indefinitely despite simple underlying construction rules, and whether hidden symmetry always eventually emerges remains an open and unresolved geometric question. This connects to both pure mathematics and the study of natural patterns.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
whether
geometric
simple
rules
eventually
hidden
symmetry
don
know
every
haven
resolved
philosophy-ethics
possible
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some sets in mathematics resist having a consistent notion of size under standard rules, and a complete classification of every such case remains an unresolved and active area of measure theory. This connects to foundational questions about the nature of mathematical infinity.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
possible
every
mathematical
size
measure
haven
resolved
whether
fully
classify
philosophy-ethics
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many famous fractals are built from simple recursive rules, but whether every possible fractal pattern can always be reduced to such a finite description remains an open mathematical question. This connects geometry, computer science, and the study of natural patterns.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
whether
every
possible
fractal
pattern
finite
simple
rules
haven
determined
know
resolved
philosophy-ethics
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some sequences appear statistically uniform for extraordinarily long stretches before finally revealing subtle bias, and whether this always eventually happens remains an open question in number theory. This connects deeply to the study of pseudorandom number generation.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
whether
eventually
bias
haven
proven
every
possible
infinite
sequence
generated
know
resolved
philosophy-ethics
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Personal and corporate data crosses borders constantly, but laws about who owns it and how it can be used vary wildly by country. This patchwork makes real data protection difficult to enforce globally.
society-governance
global-unspecified
data
owns
don
have
consistent
international
rules
controls
personal
corporate
technology-computing
whether
philosophy-ethics
systems
resolved
determine
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
AI systems built in one country are used worldwide, but there's no shared international rulebook governing how they should behave. Without cooperation, regulation ends up fragmented and easy to bypass.
society-governance
global-unspecified
agree
regulate
countries
different
laws
values
systems
built
country
worldwide
whether
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven
determine
don