Ask Science
Ask a science question, get a science answer.
Community Rules
Rule 1: Be respectful and inclusive.
Treat others with respect, and maintain a positive atmosphere.
Rule 2: No harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or trolling.
Avoid any form of harassment, hate speech, bigotry, or offensive behavior.
Rule 3: Engage in constructive discussions.
Contribute to meaningful and constructive discussions that enhance scientific understanding.
Rule 4: No AI-generated answers.
Strictly prohibit the use of AI-generated answers. Providing answers generated by AI systems is not allowed and may result in a ban.
Rule 5: Follow guidelines and moderators' instructions.
Adhere to community guidelines and comply with instructions given by moderators.
Rule 6: Use appropriate language and tone.
Communicate using suitable language and maintain a professional and respectful tone.
Rule 7: Report violations.
Report any violations of the community rules to the moderators for appropriate action.
Rule 8: Foster a continuous learning environment.
Encourage a continuous learning environment where members can share knowledge and engage in scientific discussions.
Rule 9: Source required for answers.
Provide credible sources for answers. Failure to include a source may result in the removal of the answer to ensure information reliability.
By adhering to these rules, we create a welcoming and informative environment where science-related questions receive accurate and credible answers. Thank you for your cooperation in making the Ask Science community a valuable resource for scientific knowledge.
We retain the discretion to modify the rules as we deem necessary.
view the rest of the comments
In maths "trivial" is usually when the author has a statement they could prove, but chose not to (either because is too obvious, stems from a result in another text, or is a lenghty proof)
Then it sounds like the term "trivial" is subjective, which feels kinda icky in math. Worse, it sounds as if the "dear reader" is supposed to figure out what the author or lecturer means by "trivial" in each case; sure, there is context involved, but still... icky.
Indeed it is, back in the university there was a kind of meme among students
Whenever you had any bullshit argument you pulled out of your ass you could say: "this is trivial and the proof is left to the reader"
On a more serious note, it was one of the main points of attriction betwee professors and students
In physics and other sciences "trivial" also refers to solutions that are technically correct but uninteresting (like x=0 for many equations) or cases where the result is so straightforwad that it doesn't need explanation to experts in the feild.
In physics, two terms that I often seem to notice together are "trivial" and "local". Local is easy to define clearly: within the speed of light/causality. Trivial seems like a vaguer term.