Adapted pairs and Weierstrass sections

Abstract: Adapted pairs and Weierstrass sections are central to the invariant theory associated to the action of an algebraic Lie algebra a on a finite dimensional vector space X. In this a need not be a semisimple Lie algebra. Here their general properties are described particularly when a is the canonical truncation of a biparabolic subalgebra of a simple Lie algebra and X is the dual of a.