Which of these Math acronyms are well known?
Computational Complexity 2018-03-12
The last time I taught Grad Ramsey Theory there were very good math grads and ugrads in it. They used some acronyms - some I knew, some I didn't know (but know now). I am sure some are well known and some are now. I don't know which is which. Here is the list and comments
WLOG- Without Loss of Generality. This one I know and it seems well know-- When Googled the first page is all this definition. (Maybe I shouldn't use the term ``Googled''- I've heard that brand names don't like it when they become generic terms like `Googled'. Kleenex, Photoshop, Xerox had this fate. Their is a word for it- genericide)
ITOT- It turns out that. An Applied Math Prof used this in a course I had in 1977. I have not seen it used since then. I don't even use it.
BWOC- By Way of Contradiction. I thought this was better known. When I google it I got to this page which tells me it stands for:
Big Wolf on Campus (TV Show)
By Weight of Cement (Oil and Gas industry)
Big Women on Campus (GOOD- the counterpart to BMOC)
By Way of Contradiction (Given the other items on the list I'm surprised it made the cut)
Bob Wayne's Oil company
FTSOC- For the Sake of Contradiction. NOT, as Google told me, Fuck this Shit O'Clock (reminds me of when I use FML for Formula and the class tells me its means Fuck My Life)
WTS- This was a new one for me. It took a while to get it from context but it was Want to Show. Google gives Women in Transportation.
NTS- Need to show. Also a radio station and the National Traffic System.
I think the only one of these that is standard is WLOG. The rest I think could be useful. But I ask you- are any of these standard? Are there ones that are standard that I missed? Of course, the great thing about standards is that there are so many of them.