The dangerous bend or caution symbol ☡ (U+2621 ☡ CAUTION SIGN) was created by the Nicolas Bourbaki group of mathematicians and appears in the margins of mathematics books written by the group. It resembles a road sign that indicates a "dangerous bend" in the road ahead, and is used to mark passages tricky on a first reading or with an especially difficult argument.[1]
Certains passages sont destinés à prémunir le lecteur contre des erreurs graves, où il risquerait de tomber; ces passages sont signalés en marge par le signe ☡ (« tournant dangereux »)
Some passages are designed to forewarn the reader against serious errors, where he risks falling; these passages are indicated in the margin with the sign ☡ ("dangerous bend")
Nicolas Bourbaki's description of the symbol in several textbooks[2]
- ^ Steven G. Krantz (2011), The Proof Is in the Pudding: The Changing Nature of Mathematical Proof, Springer, ISBN 0-387-48908-8, p. 92.
- ^ See, for example, Théorie des ensembles, p. I-8.