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
Pancreatic cancer often shows no clear symptoms until it has already spread, making it one of the deadliest common cancers. An affordable early screening method could dramatically improve survival rates.
health-biology
global-unspecified
pancreatic
cancer
early
haven
found
way
detect
enough
treat
successfully
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
don
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Talks over agricultural subsidies and intellectual property rights have dragged on for over twenty years without resolution in some cases, because neither side is willing to compromise. This gridlock pushes countries toward smaller side deals that fragment the global trading system further.
economics-resources
global-unspecified
over
trade
negotiations
between
rich
poor
nations
routinely
stall
decades
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
society-governance
have
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Some mathematical series behave predictably, while others sit in ambiguous territory where convergence is difficult to prove definitively. Fully resolving these cases remains an active area of mathematical research.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
series
haven
proven
exact
conditions
under
certain
infinite
converge
finite
philosophy-ethics
whether
resolved
know
possible
every
open
United States, North America
Thousands of victims from past wars and disasters remain unidentified, leaving families without closure decades later. Better, cheaper identification methods could resolve many of these long-standing cases.
health-biology
north-america
united-states
disasters
don
have
reliable
affordable
way
identify
unmarked
human
remains
global-unspecified
philosophy-ethics
whether
determine
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Early detection dramatically improves skin cancer survival rates, but many people lack easy access to dermatology screening. A cheap, widely available detection tool could catch far more cases before they become dangerous.
health-biology
global-unspecified
skin
cancer
early
don
have
scalable
way
detect
simple
affordable
whether
philosophy-ethics
determine
resolved
agreed
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Many Diophantine equations, which ask for whole-number solutions, resist any general method for predicting how many solutions exist. Solving specific cases has taken decades and earned major mathematical prizes.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
solutions
equations
haven
determined
whether
number
certain
simple
whole
numbers
possible
know
every
philosophy-ethics
resolved
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
The famous four-color theorem was resolved for flat maps, but generalizing the problem to more complex or higher-dimensional surfaces remains unsettled in several cases. This continues to be explored in graph theory and topology.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
color
flat
haven
determined
exact
minimum
number
colors
needed
any
whether
philosophy-ethics
know
resolved
possible
every
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Finding the shortest possible route through many locations becomes exponentially harder as the number of locations grows, and no efficient exact solution is known for all cases. This unresolved question sits at the heart of computational optimization theory.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
efficient
haven
determined
whether
there
way
solve
every
instance
traveling
know
possible
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Partition numbers grow in a complex, only partially understood way, and while excellent approximations exist, a complete exact predictive formula for all cases remains elusive. This continues to be an active area within combinatorics and number theory.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
number
partition
numbers
understood
haven
proven
whether
distinct
ways
any
know
possible
philosophy-ethics
resolved
every
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Ramsey-type problems ask whether order must always emerge within sufficiently large or complex systems, and while some cases are proven, the general boundaries remain incompletely mapped. This connects deeply to combinatorics and the philosophy of mathematical order.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
structure
whether
mathematical
must
always
don
know
every
finite
certain
haven
resolved
philosophy-ethics
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Dissection problems, which ask how shapes can be cut and rearranged, often lack complete general solutions beyond specific well-studied cases. This remains an open and often surprisingly difficult area of combinatorial geometry.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
general
haven
proven
whether
there
method
determining
exact
number
ways
philosophy-ethics
know
possible
resolved
every
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Self-referential systems often run into paradoxes, and while specific fixes exist for particular cases, no fully general and complete solution has been proven for every possible self-describing system. This unresolved tension remains central to mathematical logic and computer science.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
every
mathematical
fully
haven
determined
whether
sufficiently
complex
language
unambiguously
philosophy-ethics
resolved
possible
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Additive combinatorics explores these kinds of guaranteed substructure questions extensively, but many specific cases remain without a fully general proof. This continues to be an active and evolving research area.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
property
specific
don
know
whether
every
finite
set
numbers
must
haven
philosophy-ethics
resolved
possible
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
History has shown some conjectures hold for enormous ranges before finally failing, raising the unresolved question of how confidently mathematicians can ever trust patterns observed only in finite testing. This shapes ongoing debates about the reliability of computational evidence in mathematics.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
haven
proven
whether
every
mathematical
theorem
holds
true
small
cases
know
resolved
philosophy-ethics
possible
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Specific techniques exist for counting solutions in many cases, but a complete and general method covering every possible polynomial system remains an unresolved goal in algebraic geometry. This continues to be an active area of mathematical research.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
possible
general
method
solutions
system
polynomial
haven
determined
whether
construct
philosophy-ethics
resolved
know
every
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Symmetry groups have been classified extensively for finite cases, but infinite symmetry structures present ongoing classification challenges that remain incompletely resolved. This shapes foundational research in both algebra and geometry.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
resolved
infinite
haven
whether
possible
fully
classify
every
mathematical
structure
philosophy-ethics
know
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Logical simplification techniques work well for many cases, but a fully general method guaranteed to simplify every possible logical structure remains unresolved. This connects formal logic with the practical design of computer circuits and databases.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
logical
every
possible
but
structure
don
know
whether
pattern
interconnected
resolved
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
haven
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Scheduling problems appear throughout logistics and computing, and while efficient solutions exist for many specific cases, a fully general efficient method remains unresolved for the broader problem family. This unresolved question connects theoretical computer science with real-world efficiency.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
possible
efficient
fully
method
don
know
whether
guarantee
finding
best
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
haven
every
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Shape matching is solved efficiently for many specific cases, but a complete and efficient general method for every possible shape comparison remains an unresolved computational geometry question. This has real applications in computer vision and pattern recognition.
technology-computing
global-unspecified
whether
possible
general
efficient
method
don
know
construct
fully
determining
haven
philosophy-ethics
resolved
mathematics-logic
every
mathematical
open
Global / Unspecified, Global
Information theory provides strong bounds on efficiency for many specific cases, but proving whether truly optimal encoding always exists for every possible scenario remains an unresolved theoretical question. This connects mathematics directly to modern data compression and communication.
mathematics-logic
global-unspecified
encoding
whether
every
possible
information
always
don
know
way
mathematically
philosophy-ethics
resolved
haven