May 15, 2003

exercise, left as an

adj.

[from technical books] Used to complete a proof when one doesn't mind a handwave, or to avoid one entirely. The complete phrase is: The proof [or ‘the rest’] is left as an exercise for the reader. This comment has occasionally been attached to unsolved research problems by authors possessed of either an evil sense of humor or a vast faith in the capabilities of their audiences.

Posted by Jargon File at May 15, 2003 10:49 AM

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