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There's a lot in this world that we (humans) don't know. However, the world is such a large and complex place that even knowing if a problem has been solved by someone else is quite difficult. It would be useful therefore to have a centralized database of all questions left unanswered.
I shall
leave the form of this database open - it could be anything from a website to a book. I shall also leave the quantity of data open - it could be restricted to only the most high-level questions (Is there a relationship between the equations of general relativity and quantum mechanics?) or expanded to lower level questions. The database should have references to relevant research, and be updated at least annually. Once a solution has been found and verified, it will be removed from the database (perhaps to be placed in a separate "solved problems" database).
How this database could be funded is by those asking the questions. For a fee, a question is submitted. The question is then researched by paid researchers to find out if there has been a solution to this problem. If not, it is included in the database and the fee paid to whoever solves the problem (or finds it solved elsewhere).
Pubmed
http://www.ncbi.nih...v/entrez/query.fcgi
Biology / health sciences database. [bungston, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]
"The Five Biggest Unsolved Problems in Science" (book title)
http://www.powells....nkey=1-0471268089-1
[phoenix, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]
Some Mathematical Problems
http://www.math.uni...winkel/problem.html
[phoenix, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 05 2004]
"My favorite unsolved problems" (page title)
http://www.math.pur.../~eremenko/uns.html
[phoenix, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 06 2004]
(?) MIT's attempt.
http://www.thinkcycle.org/home
[subflower, Aug 08 2005]
Google answers
http://answers.google.com/answers/
Nifty! [bungston, Sep 22 2005]
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Annotation:
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I like it alot. Yes, humans should
be doing this at around this stage
of their development. + |
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Presumably this would be a database of UNSOLVED scientific problems. Otherwise, it's just a textbook. |
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Yes, that is the intent. Unsolved. |
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How would this be any different from a literature search? Presumably any problem worth solving will have folks working on it - a search for the problem should turn up their efforts as well as background explanations. If you are just trolling for any problems worth consideration, why not just pick up recent journals and see what's cooking? |
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Great! +
There is a ton of unused processing power out there. Just look at the HB – how many times have you punched in a search at Google to have a link to the HB show up?
It could be a website much like this one, except people pose problems and wait for answers (hey, we should do that here too). |
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[bung] //literature search// Exactly - this is what the researchers would do. Instead of each person searching through journals, you'd flip to the page in the unanswered questions book, and if it's there then you know not to search. |
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The problem with just picking up a journal is that people generally publish problems they are solving. Not many journal articles are published titled "Here is a problem that I have no idea how to solve". |
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[px] Wonderful. You've started the search already, and perhaps realized how distributed the sources of unsolved problems are. Now if we only had a centralized database... |
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A cursory search reveals many individual sites with unsolved problems. Bringing them all together seems natural enough. |
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Thing is, Worldgineer, finding worthwhile problems is part of the skill of being a successful scientist. Like seeing opportunities that everyone else has missed. Not a chance in hell that anyone would share good ideas they haven't had time to check out first themself. |
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I'm fine with that. If they "check it out first thems(elves)" they may solve the problem, which would then be inappropriate for the database. If they can't solve it, they may submit it. |
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Or they might file it under good idea that I'll try and solve later. |
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Absolutely true. But how is that different that what's happening now? |
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I see this as similar to the HB. You share the problems you want solved. You benefit in that your problem may be solved (if this is a desire of yours). If your only desire is to solve something yourself, don't share it. The difference between this and the HB is a) the focus on unanswered scientific questions b) money is involved and c) oddly enough, a sharper focus on the properties of custard. |
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I think this is a great idea. Can you imagine if there were a central database how we might all begin trying to solve the world's problems in our spare time? Perhaps it could be set up like message boards too, so people could dialogue about their tried and failed solution attempts. |
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You could start a Wikipedia category for this right now. |
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There are some massive problems in implementing this - but it should be attempted anyway, it can only be to the good. Some thoughts: |
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How do you differentiate between a 'solved' and an 'unsolved' problem? Most people think "How was the universe started" is a solved problem: there was a Big Bang. There is however still a reasonable contingent of steady state supporters in the academic community. Many 'solved' problems have been reexamined decades later as new evidence appears. |
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A good database could keep track of developments in related areas. For instance paleologists who dead-end on dating certain important finds accurately enough could be contacted when any other discipline at all makes an advance that relates to dating. |
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Taxonomy is a mess. Many species have been 'discovered' many times over. We don't know how many of the known species still exist because there's no record of who made the most recent sighting and when. A database would be invaluable here. |
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Good points. The first issue can mostly be solved by a peer-review process. If a panel feels the problem has been "solved", the fee will be paid. If further problems or inconsistancies pop up later, they will have to be resubmitted to be researched or re-solved. |
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I like this idea - it would help me out no end! I see many problems in science where one group has a solution and another has a problem yet unless they actually talk to each other it ain't gonna happen! |
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However, I agree with wagster that it would be difficult to implement, though that's no reason not to do it. |
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I've been discussing this for years with some people that could make it happen. Checkout Peaceroom.org for the basic idea and Bucky Fuller's Dymaxion Earth educational tool. |
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A peaceroom type of presentation available to world leaders could be incorporated into NASA's WorldWind earth viewer program. |
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Time histories of satellite imagery would show clearly if someone had a solution to a particular problem. The presentation would be categorized and viewable from space or zoomed in to ground level/underground? |
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Whole continents could present a communal challenge based upon the real -borderless- earth. |
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Solutions that have been tried and theoretical models can be presented with this tool. |
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The University of Minnesota has been running a questions site. Most of the questions are either already answered or unanswerable (not stated clearly, matter of opinion, etc.). Maybe a fee would help. |
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