Undecidability in Nature

Eugene Tang (Boston, MA)

Date: March 20, 2026

Abstract: The mathematician David Hilbert once envisioned a perfect algorithm - a single mechanical procedure capable of deciding the truth of any mathematical statement. This ambition was rapidly shattered by the discovery of undecidable problems - statements that no computation can ever resolve. For a time, it was hoped that physical systems could escape the fundamental limitations of computability, but this ultimately proved not to be the case. In this talk, we will explore the concepts of computability and undecidability in mathematics and uncover the profound consequences that these notions impose on our ability to learn about the natural world.