Noncomputability

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The property that defines a problem as impossible to solve through any computational method or algorithmic approach
2. This concept reflects the limitations of algorithms in addressing certain problems that cannot be computed or resolved
3. The characteristic of a problem that makes it unsolvable by any algorithm or computational procedure is termed as such

Etymology: Noncomputability is a plain construction: the prefix "non-" attached to "computability," the noun form of "computable," meaning able to be calculated or resolved by a systematic procedure. The negation therefore names the property of a problem that no such procedure can solve. Because the word is built transparently from familiar English parts, its meaning can be read directly from its structure, with no older sense that has drifted away. The "non-" prefix comes from Latin "non," meaning "not," and it attaches freely to English nouns and adjectives to form negated terms. "Computability" carries the older idea of computing, which traces back to the Latin "computare," to reckon together. Put together, the word describes the limit of what a calculating method can reach, rather than a failure of calculation itself.

Synonyms: incomputability, undecidability

Antonyms: computability, decidability