symbol-pushing adjective 1symbol pushing noun 1 adjective1 •Using symbol pushing; solving mathematical problems by manipulating symbols (as in algebra) rather than through visual or intuitive understanding.Perhaps no mechanistic symbol-pushing system could ever produce behavior that matched that of humans—after all, not all kinds of mechanisms can be used to produce all kinds of results. — 1999 symbol pushing noun1 •(disapproving) The practice of solving mathematical problems by manipulating symbols (as in algebra) rather than through visual or intuitive understanding.Now, before going any further, and to help convince you that this isn't all just "symbol pushing," let me show you an application of Fourier series that often occurs in mathematical physics. — 2021
