Mathematics Glossary
Any student who ever sat or slept through a mathematics course knows that certain words and phrases occur very frequently. This glossary might eliminate some confusion.
| WHEN THE INSTRUCTOR SAYS | HE REALLY MEANS |
|---|---|
| trivial | The student might be able to do it in three hours or so. |
| simple | An "A" student can do it in a week or so. |
| easy | This topic would make a good master's thesis. |
| clear | The instructor can do it (he thinks). |
| obvious | The instructor is sure it is in his notes somewhere. |
| certainly | The instructor saw one of his instructors do it, but has completely forgotten how it was done. |
| Left as an exercise for the student | The instructor lost his notes. |
| is well known | The instructor heard that someone once did it. |
| can be shown | The instructor thinks it might be true, but has no idea how to prove it. |
| the diligent student can show | It is an unsolved problem - probably harder than Fermat's Last Theorem. |
