halting problem
nounUK /ˈhɔːltɪŋ ˈprɒbləm/
US /ˈhɔːltɪŋ ˈprɑːbləm/
A puzzle about whether a computer program will ever stop running or keep going forever.
The teacher explained the halting problem by asking if a robot could always tell when another robot would finish its job.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A famous result in computer science showing that no single program can always decide whether any other program will eventually halt.
Alan Turing proved the halting problem is unsolvable in 1936.
3. Any situation where it is impossible to predict in advance whether a process will finish or run forever.
Debugging the loop felt like facing the halting problem in real life.
4. A classic example used to teach the limits of what computers can do.
In class, we studied the halting problem to understand undecidability.