Can computers solve all our problems?

Computers are the cornerstones of our high-tech society. They can perform calculations in a blink of an eye; calculations that would otherwise take humans a lifetime to complete. But what are their limitations? Are there any problems they cannot solve? These are questions that Wallenberg Academy Fellow Susanna F. de Rezende will answer. 

For the most part, computers calculate things. Thanks to them we can, for example, access almost all of the world’s knowledge via our search engines, have realistic landscapes drawn for us, or – as some researchers need – detect patterns in enormous amounts of data. Computers are also used to encrypt information. They then create computational problems that should be impossible to solve without access to a security key. But are they really? 

Dr Susanna F. de Rezende from Lund University is exploring the limits of computers. Which problems are they unable to solve? Understanding this is a fundamental challenge in many scientific fields, with connections to the natural sciences, economics and social sciences. 

Also, many computational problems have several potential solutions, so how do we know the computer found a good solution? Is it possible to know whether it is the best solution? Can a computer even find the best solution without using excessive amounts of time or memory? The aim of Susanna F. de Rezende's project is to develop a toolbox that allows these questions to be investigated using rigorous mathematical methods. 

Photo Patrik Lundin