I'm not sure what this means. Thanks for your help.
What does it mean for a theorem to be "delicate"?
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terminology
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9It would be very helpful to give context. At least, a full sentence, and possibly also the two preceding sentences of the source. – 2012-05-09
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2It is not a very precise word; it means, roughly: difficult, intricate, detailed, ornate. – 2012-05-09
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0In other words it needs to be "handled with care". (BTW, have you chosen "praying mantis" as your name, or is it just coincidentally that way in Pinyin?) – 2012-05-09
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3Sometimes it means, "The conditions are very specific, and any slight change in the conditions renders the conclusion invalid." – 2012-05-09
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0It is basically the same as when one writes "Handle with care" on a biochemical substance. It might be disastrous if used wrongly or with little care. – 2012-05-09
1 Answers
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Context would be useful, but I generally use it to mean the theorem requires several intricate hypotheses, all of which must be precisely stated in order to reach the desired conclusion. Such a theorem is "delicate" because it will not tolerate rough-handling (i.e. a quick and dirty statement of the hypotheses).
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2Yes, *delicate* in the sense of *easily breakable*. – 2012-05-09