Bongard Problems sorted left have the keyword "unwordable" on the OEBP.

"Unwordable" does not just mean convoluted, that is, involving a long description. "Unwordable" also does not just mean hard. Unwordable Bongard Problems are instead those Bongard Problems whose solutions tend to occur to people nonverbally before verbally. The typical "unwordable" Bongard Problem solution is not too difficult to see, and may be easy to describe vaguely, but hard to pin down in language.

The solution title given on the OEBP for "unwordable" pages is often something vague and evocative, further elaborated on in the comments. For example, the title for BP524 is "Same objects are shown lined up in both 'universes' vs. the two 'universes' are not aligned." If someone said this, it would be clear they had seen the answer, even though this is not a clear description.

Bongard Problems have been sorted here based on how hard they are to put into words in English. (See keyword culture.) It may be interesting to consider whether or not the same choices would be made with respect to other languages.

Adjacent-numbered pages:
BP501 BP502 BP503 BP504 BP505  *  BP507 BP508 BP509 BP510 BP511

notso, subjective, meta (see left/right), links, keyword, sideless

bp [smaller | same | bigger]

Aaron David Fairbanks

BPs sorted left are tagged with the keyword "abstract" on the OEBP. The solution is not an easily-checked or concretely-defined geometrical or numerical property in pictures.

Adjacent-numbered pages:
BP507 BP508 BP509 BP510 BP511  *  BP513 BP514 BP515 BP516 BP517

abstract, meta (see left/right), links, keyword, left-self, sideless

bp [smaller | same | bigger]

Aaron David Fairbanks

Left-sorted Bongard Problems have the keyword "creativeexamples" on the OEBP.

Be encouraged to contribute new interesting examples to Bongard Problems with this keyword.

There is much overlap with the keyword hardsort.

This is what it usually means to say examples fit on (e.g.) the left of a Bongard Problem in various creative ways: there is no (obvious) general method to determine a left-fitting example fits left.

There is a related idea in computability theory: a "non recursively enumerable" property is one that cannot in general be checked by a computer algorithm.

But keep in mind the tag "creativeexamples" is supposed to mean something less formal. For example, it requires no ingenuity for a human being to check when a simple shape is convex or concave (so BP4 is not labelled "creativeexamples"). However, it is not as if we use an algorithm to do this, like a computer. (It is not even clear what an "algorithm" would mean in this context, since it is ambiguous both what class of shapes the Bongard Problem sorts and how that would be encoded into a computer program's input. There are usually many options and ambiguities like this whenever one tries to formalize the content of a Bongard Problem.)

Adjacent-numbered pages:
BP861 BP862 BP863 BP864 BP865  *  BP867 BP868 BP869 BP870 BP871

notso, meta (see left/right), links, keyword

bp [smaller | same | bigger]

Aaron David Fairbanks

Left-sorted problems have the keyword "finishedexamples" on the OEBP.

The addition does not have to be slight.

Left-sorted Problems usually have a very specific collection of examples, where the only images sorted all show the same type of object.

Any Bongard Problem where all examples are one shape outline will be sorted left, and (almost) any Bongard Problem where all examples are one fill shape will be sorted right.

See BP1144 for the version about both additions and erasures, and only slight changes are considered.

See BP1167 for a stricter version, the condition that all examples have the same amount of black and white.

Adjacent-numbered pages:
BP1137 BP1138 BP1139 BP1140 BP1141  *  BP1143 BP1144 BP1145 BP1146 BP1147

unwordable, notso, meta (see left/right), links, keyword, sideless, problemkiller

Leo Crabbe

Left-sorted Bongard Problems have the keyword "rules" on the OEBP.

In the typical "rules" Bongard Problem, it is possible to come up with many convoluted rules that fit each example, but the intended interpretation is the only simple and obvious one.

Since it is difficult to communicate a rule with little detail, "rules" Bongard Problems are usually infodense.

Typically, each example is itself a bunch of smaller examples that all obey the rule. It is the same as how a Bongard Problems relies on many examples to communicate rules; it likely wouldn't get the answer across with just one example.

Often, each rule is communicated just by showing some examples of things satisfying it placed next to each other. (See keywords left-narrow and right-narrow.) Contrast Bongard Problems, which are more communicative, by showing some examples satisfying the rule and some examples NOT satisfying the rule.

BP1157 is an example of a "rules" Bongard Problem in which each intended rule is communicated by just one example of its application; these rules have to be particularly simple and intuitive, and the individual examples have to be complicated enough to communicate them.

A "rules" Bongard Problem is often collective. Some examples may admit multiple equally plausible rules, and the correct interpretation of each example only becomes clear once the solution is known. The group of examples together improve the solver's confidence about having understood each individual one right.

It is common that there will be one or two examples with multiple reasonable interpretations due to oversight of the author.

All meta Bongard Problems are "rules" Bongard Problems.

Many of the other Bongard-Problem-like structures seen on the OEBP are also about recognizing a pattern. (See keyword structure.)

"Rules" Bongard Problems are abstract, although the individual rules in them may not be abstract. "Rules" Bongard Problems also usually have the keyword creativeexamples.

Adjacent-numbered pages:
BP1153 BP1154 BP1155 BP1156 BP1157  *  BP1159 BP1160 BP1161 BP1162 BP1163

fuzzy, meta (see left/right), links, keyword, left-self, rules

Aaron David Fairbanks

Left-sorted Problems often have a specific format or deal with specific geometric shapes.

Almost any Problem that sorts the all-white or all-black panels will be sorted right.

Adjacent-numbered pages:
BP1159 BP1160 BP1161 BP1162 BP1163  *  BP1165 BP1166 BP1167 BP1168 BP1169

notso, meta (see left/right), links, problemkiller

visualbp [smaller | same | bigger]

Leo Crabbe

Not all visual Bongard Problems whose examples all have some amount of black in them are sorted left. In left-sorted BPs, there must be some concrete percentage of black that is exceeded by every sorted example.

Adjacent-numbered pages:
BP1161 BP1162 BP1163 BP1164 BP1165  *  BP1167 BP1168 BP1169 BP1170 BP1171

meta (see left/right), links

Leo Crabbe

All left BPs would be tagged finishedexamples.

Adjacent-numbered pages:
BP1162 BP1163 BP1164 BP1165 BP1166  *  BP1168 BP1169 BP1170 BP1171 BP1172

precise, notso, meta (see left/right), links, sideless

Leo Crabbe