kiszámíthatatlan

Kiszámíthatatlan is a Hungarian adjective used to describe phenomena, events, or entities that cannot be accurately foreseen or computed in advance. It conveys a sense of essential unpredictability, often arising from complexity, incomplete information, or rules that are not easily analyzable.

Etymology: It is formed from the stem számít (to count, calculate) with the negation prefix ki- and the suffix -talan, yielding "uncomputable" or "unpredictable." The negation of kiszámítható (calculable, predictable) gives kiszámíthatatlan.

Usage: In everyday language, kiszámíthatatlan describes people or situations whose outcomes are uncertain. In science and mathematics, it can refer to systems that are not computable or not predictable under known models, such as certain dynamical systems or problems proven to be undecidable. It is not strictly synonymous with véletlen (random); something kiszámíthatatlan may be deterministic but highly sensitive to initial conditions, leading to practical unpredictability.

Examples: Például: "Ez a projekt kiszámíthatatlan kimenetelű lehet." "A politikai helyzet kiszámíthatatlan."

See also: unpredictability, uncomputable, chaos theory, Hungarian language.