"symbol pushing" meaning in English

See symbol pushing in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

Head templates: {{en-noun|-}} symbol pushing (uncountable)
  1. (mathematics, somewhat derogatory) The practice of solving mathematical problems by manipulating symbols (as in algebra) rather than through visual or intuitive understanding. Tags: derogatory, uncountable Categories (topical): Mathematics Derived forms: symbol-pushing [adjective], symbol pusher
    Sense id: en-symbol_pushing-en-noun-VFOjYPoy Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header Topics: mathematics, sciences

Download JSON data for symbol pushing meaning in English (2.5kB)

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          "ref": "1989, R. Ferro, Logic Colloquium '88, Elsevier Science, page 223",
          "text": "The fact that we eventually reach a formulation free from logic (in terms of functional analysis) does not invalidate the use of logical tools: in fact the simplest way to prove termination (i.e. nilpotency) will always be standard logical manipulation, \"symbol pushing\"; but the existence of a model for this symbol pushing obviously brings in new methods, insights, etc.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "ref": "2015, The Oxford Handbook of Perceptual Organization, Oxford University Press, page 47",
          "text": "Other mathematicians abhor visual proofs and only recognize 'symbol pushing'. Ideally, that would lead to a mathematics that would be fully independent of the human mind, and be simply the (uninterpreted!) output of a Turing machine.",
          "type": "quotation"
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        {
          "ref": "2021, Paul J. Nahin, How to Fall Slower Than Gravity, Princeton University Press, page 129",
          "text": "Now, before going any further, and to help convince you that this isn't all just \"symbol pushing,\" let me show you an application of Fourier series that often occurs in mathematical physics.",
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        "The practice of solving mathematical problems by manipulating symbols (as in algebra) rather than through visual or intuitive understanding."
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        "(mathematics, somewhat derogatory) The practice of solving mathematical problems by manipulating symbols (as in algebra) rather than through visual or intuitive understanding."
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          "ref": "2015, The Oxford Handbook of Perceptual Organization, Oxford University Press, page 47",
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          "ref": "2021, Paul J. Nahin, How to Fall Slower Than Gravity, Princeton University Press, page 129",
          "text": "Now, before going any further, and to help convince you that this isn't all just \"symbol pushing,\" let me show you an application of Fourier series that often occurs in mathematical physics.",
          "type": "quotation"
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This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (210104c and c9440ce). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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