Concave and convex problems are totally different.

· Bits and Bobs 4/28/25
  • Concave and convex problems are totally different.
    • Concave: as you solve subcomponents the whole trends towards being solved.
      • Every bit of work brings you closer to the solution.
    • Convex: as you solve subcomponents they have ripple effects that destabilize the other components.
      • Every bit of work could bring you further away from the solution
      • Complex problems are convex.[oo]
        • Anything with a coordination cost, or interdependencies between decisions, have this characteristic.
      • Any situation that involves humans making decisions with any degree of autonomy is fundamentally complex.
        • The decision of one human affects the decision landscape of the other humans.
    • We act like concave problems are more common, but that's only because they're the ones we know how to solve.
      • Like the streetlight fallacy.
    • The real world is primarily convex problems.

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