principle of computational irreducibility

While many computations admit shortcuts that allow them to be performed more rapidly, others cannot be sped up. Computations that cannot be sped up by means of any shortcut are called computationally irreducible. The principle of computational irreducibility says that the only way to determine the answer to a computationally irreducible question is to perform, or simulate, the computation. Some irreducible computations can be sped up by performing them on faster hardware, as the principle refers only to computation time.

computation | computational reducibility | mathematical paradigm | multicomputational irreducibility | principle of computational equivalence