This directory contains the seed catalog for the Impossibility Patterns Finder (IPF) project, consisting of 11 validated entries spanning multiple scientific domains.
Catalog Version: 1.0 Schema Version: 1.0 Publication Date: 2025-10-19 Author: Thomas C. Williams License: Schema & tools: MIT (see Section A in LICENSE) Catalog & docs: CC BY 4.0 (see Section B in LICENSE) DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17393655
Prereqs: Python ≥3.10 (tested on 3.13), git.
macOS/Linux
git clone https://github.com/tcwilliams79/impossibility-patterns-finder cd impossibility-patterns-finder
python3 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate python -m pip install --upgrade pip pip install -r requirements.txt
Windows (PowerShell)
git clone https://github.com/tcwilliams79/impossibility-patterns-finder cd impossibility-patterns-finder
py -3.13 -m venv .venv ..venv\Scripts\Activate.ps1 # If this is blocked, use: ..venv\Scripts\activate.bat python -m pip install --upgrade pip pip install -r requirements.txt
If you pulled the latest repo with the cross-platform runner:
macOS/Linux
python validation/validate_all.py --schema schema/ipf-schema-v1.0.json --dirs catalog examples
Windows
python validation\validate_all.py --schema schema\ipf-schema-v1.0.json --dirs catalog examples
Expected output (success):
✓ All JSON documents validate against IPF Schema
The original script lives under validation/. Example:
macOS/Linux
python validation/validate.py catalog/atomic/IPF-00001.json
Windows
python validation\validate.py catalog\atomic\IPF-00001.json
The README examples that show python validate.py … refer to this validator; the correct path is validation/validate.py. The sample success message in the repo is:
✓ IPF-00001.json is valid
(See the “Validation” section in the repo README.)
-
ModuleNotFoundError: jsonschema → pip install jsonschema
-
PowerShell activation blocked → run Set-ExecutionPolicy -Scope Process -ExecutionPolicy Bypass once, or use ..venv\Scripts\activate.bat.
Foundational impossibility results from single domains:
| ID | Title | Domain | Mechanism | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPF-00001 | Halting Problem | Computation | S | Theorem |
| IPF-00002 | Rice's Theorem | Computation | S | Theorem |
| IPF-00003 | No-Free-Lunch (Optimization) | Optimization/ML | C | Theorem |
| IPF-00004 | No-Free-Lunch (Learning) | ML/Statistics | C | Theorem |
| IPF-00005 | No-Cloning Theorem | Quantum Mechanics | C | Theorem |
| IPF-00006 | Heisenberg Uncertainty | Quantum Mechanics | C | Principle |
| IPF-00007 | Second Law (Entropy) | Thermodynamics | R | Law |
| IPF-00008 | Arrow's Impossibility | Social Choice | C | Theorem |
| IPF-00009 | Bias-Variance Tradeoff | ML/Statistics | R | Principle |
| IPF-00010 | Shannon Capacity | Information Theory | R | Theorem |
Cross-domain synthesis demonstrating advanced schema features:
| ID | Title | Domains | Mechanism | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IPF-00011 | Coordination-Incentive-Trust Trilemma | Distributed Systems, Mechanism Design, Blockchain | C | Principle |
The seed catalog demonstrates balanced coverage of the SCR taxonomy:
- S (Self-reference): 2 entries (20%)
- C (Context/Incompatibility): 6 entries (55%)
- R (Resource/Monotonicity): 3 entries (25%)
This distribution reflects that context incompatibilities are common across domains, while self-reference limits are primarily computational/logical, and resource limits span physical and information-theoretic domains.
All entries have been validated against the IPF Schema v1.0 specification:
# Python validation
python validate.py IPF-00001.json
# Output: ✓ IPF-00001.json is valid
# Validate entire catalog
python validate.py *.jsonEach entry includes:
- ✓ Formal mathematical/logical statement
- ✓ Plain language explanation
- ✓ Explicit assumptions
- ✓ ≥2 typed escape hatches with SCR classification
- ✓ Academic references with full citations
- ✓ Typical traps (common misconceptions)
- ✓ Test procedure for conflict detection
- ✓ Related limits for cross-referencing
import json
# Load a catalog entry
with open('IPF-00001.json') as f:
halting_problem = json.load(f)
# Access structured data
print(halting_problem['title'])
print(halting_problem['mechanism']) # 'S'
print(halting_problem['plain_language'])
# Iterate through escape hatches
for hatch in halting_problem['escape_hatches']:
print(f"{hatch['type']}: {hatch['description']}")# Claim: "Perfect static analyzer for all Python programs"
claim = {
"domains": ["Computation", "Programs"],
"requires": ["Total correctness", "All programs"]
}
# Check against catalog
conflicts = check_barriers(claim, catalog=['IPF-00001.json', 'IPF-00002.json'])
# Returns: [IPF-00001 (Halting), IPF-00002 (Rice's theorem)]catalog/
├── atomic/
│ ├── IPF-00001.json # Halting Problem
│ ├── IPF-00002.json # Rice's Theorem
│ ├── IPF-00003.json # No-Free-Lunch (Optimization)
│ ├── IPF-00004.json # No-Free-Lunch (Learning)
│ ├── IPF-00005.json # No-Cloning Theorem
│ ├── IPF-00006.json # Heisenberg Uncertainty
│ ├── IPF-00007.json # Second Law
│ ├── IPF-00008.json # Arrow's Impossibility
│ ├── IPF-00009.json # Bias-Variance Tradeoff
│ └── IPF-00010.json # Shannon Capacity
└── compound/
└── IPF-00011.json # Coordination-Incentive-Trust Trilemma
To contribute new entries:
- Follow the schema: Validate against
ipf-schema-v1.0.json - Provide evidence: Include academic references
- Type relaxations: Use SCR mechanism types consistently
- Peer review: Have ≥1 domain expert review before submission
- Submit PR: Include entry JSON + validation results
See [CONTRIBUTING.md] for detailed guidelines.
The seed catalog was selected to:
- Span disciplines: Computation, physics, statistics, economics, information theory
- Cover SCR spectrum: Examples of S, C, and R mechanisms
- Mix evidence grades: Theorems, laws, principles
- Show schema features: Both atomic and compound entries
- Prove practical value: Well-known results that appear in real research
Each entry provides typed relaxations showing:
- What to change: Self-reference structure, context, or resources
- How to change it: Concrete examples
- Cost of change: Trade-offs explicitly stated
This transforms "impossible" into "here's what you'd need to relax."
IPF-00011 demonstrates how the schema handles:
- Compound limits synthesized from multiple results
- Cross-domain manifestations (blockchain, auctions, databases)
- Graded references (foundational vs. illustrative)
- Evidence basis explaining the synthesis
To cite the catalog:
Individual Entry:
Williams, Thomas C. 2025. "IPF-00001: Halting Problem (Undecidability)."
Impossibility Patterns Finder Catalog v1.0. Zenodo. [DOI]
Entire Catalog:
Williams, Thomas C. 2025. Impossibility Patterns Finder Catalog v1.0.
Zenodo. [DOI]
- Concept Note: Williams (2025). IPF: A reliability layer for AI-assisted research. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17388374
- Schema Specification: Williams (2025). IPF Schema v1.0. [DOI]
- SCR Taxonomy: Williams (2025). Structural Mechanisms of Theoretical Limits. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.17083195
This catalog is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made.
For questions, contributions, or collaborations:
- Email: [Your professional email]
- GitHub: [Repository URL]
- Project Page: https://impossibility-patterns-finder.org
Version History:
- v1.0 (2025-10-19): Initial seed catalog with 11 entries