English Dictionary

abstract nonsense

noun

(mathematics, humorous) Details which are straightforward but so tedious that an author or lecturer would rather skip them (especially those of a category theoretical nature).

Abstract nonsense is a term used in mathematics to describe a category-theoretic approach to studying mathematical structures.

意味（1）

(mathematics, humorous) Details which are straightforward but so tedious that an author or lecturer would rather skip them (especially those of a category theoretical nature).

意味（2）

(mathematics, humorous) Details which involve diagram chasing.

³Lang’s Algebra [Lan02, p. 759] supports the general consensus that this was not intended as an epithet:

³Lang’s Algebra [Lan02, p. 759] supports the general consensus that this was not intended as an epithet: In the forties and fifties (mostly in the works of Cartan, Eilenberg, MacLane, and Steenrod, see [CE56]), it was realized that there was a systematic way of developing certain relations of linear algebra, depending only on fairly general constructions which were mostly arrow-theoretic, and were affectionately called abstract nonsense by Steenrod.

意味（3）

(mathematics, humorous) Category theory in general.