[Vocabulary] part of the "initial settings" of the problem?

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oracle2020

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Hello, I am writing an article about mathematics, but I cannot find a phrase:
I illustrate my problem with a simple example: (this is just an example not my real problem)
f(x)=x^2 (x<1)
Now when discussing this problem, I want to say that x being less than one is part of the "?" of the problem. Should I say part of the "initial settings" of the problem? This doesn't seem appropriate.
In fact I want to say some information is part of "?" of the problem, NOT what we have "assumed" to be true.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 

SoothingDave

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I would say that x being less than one is a constraint on the function.
 

oracle2020

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I would say that x being less than one is a constraint on the function.

Thank you for replying to my post. Your suggestion is helpful but I think that does not work for my case. My problem is a rather general problem. There is no function or any mathematical object in that. Maybe my example was misleading. Here is my real problem:
I am discussing a paradox. There is some facts, and then an statement "A" is announced by a person, this statement can be true or false. I wanna discuss a variation of this paradox which is produced by putting "A" into the definition of paradox, thereby making it true (like x<1 that part of the problem and is true). Now what can I say? Putting A into "definition" of the paradox? Putting A into "initials setting" of the paradox? considering A as a "constraint" of the paradox?

Thank you in advance
 

5jj

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Welcome to the forum, oracle. You are going to have to give us more concrete information. What paradox are you discussing? Does the statement A concern this paradox?

What do you mean by 'definition of paradox' - A situation that has two opposite features and therefore seems strange (OALD)?

ps. Note that 'wanna' is chatroom English; it needs to be 'want to'.
 

oracle2020

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Welcome to the forum, oracle. You are going to have to give us more concrete information. What paradox are you discussing? Does the statement A concern this paradox?

What do you mean by 'definition of paradox' - A situation that has two opposite features and therefore seems strange (OALD)?

ps. Note that 'wanna' is chatroom English; it needs to be 'want to'.

Thank you for your reply.
yes, statement "A" is related to the paradox.
I should have said: "definition of the/this paradox" instead of "definition of paradox".
It is in fact "The paradox of the surprise examination". There are two statements by a teacher, call them A and B, these two statements can be true or false (like the real world, i.e. they are not necessarily true, and can be false indeed, no matter how much the teacher is credible). To use A and B we have to "assume" that they are true. Now I want to talk about a variation of this paradox that A is true (we have not assumed that it is true), by putting A into the definition of this paradox. In my previous example about f(x), if it was not mentioned in the definition of the problem that x<1 then the statement "x is less than one" could be true or false, but now that it has been put in the definition of the problem (as a constraint to f), the statement "x is less than one" is true and we can use this information as a fact. I want to do the same for this paradox, but I cannot find appropriate words to describe this action.
In fact I want to know 1- what's the appropriate word for the information provided in a problem. (initial setting? definition?)
2- when we want to add something to that information, how can we describe it? (put something into the "?" of the problem?

Thank you for your time and consideration.
 

5jj

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I still do not understand what you mean by 'defintition of this paraox', You canhave a dictionary- type definition of the word 'paradox', such as the OALD one I gave you, or a classification of your particular paradox as, for example an 'unexpected hanging' paradox, but I can't see how you can inlude a definition of a paradox within tha paradox.
 

oracle2020

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I still do not understand what you mean by 'defintition of this paraox', You canhave a dictionary- type definition of the word 'paradox', such as the OALD one I gave you, or a classification of your particular paradox as, for example an 'unexpected hanging' paradox, but I can't see how you can inlude a definition of a paradox within tha paradox.

Let SEP denote the paradox of the surprise examination. I want to change SEP by adding a new peace of information to that. (in other words I want to introduce another version of SEP (call it SEP2), which in spite of SEP, the statement A is true in it, i.e. it is in the definition of SEP2 that A is true, like x<1 that was part of the definition of that example).
(I feel that I am using the word "definition" inappropriately, thereby confusing you)
I want to know what are called "the information given in a problem". Does "assumptions" works? if so what alternatives to "assumption" are there?
 
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5jj

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Why don't you just give us the actual words of the paradox you are discussing and the words you wish to add? Underline the words for which you need a word/label/expression, and we'll see what we can do. As long as you talk in vague terms of SEP, Statement A and definition, I am afraid I do not understand what you mean.
 
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