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I'm learning computer science in a college and I'm taking the course 'Algorithms 1'. Some of its content is "graph theory".

I wonder whether it belongs to this site or to Stack Overflow?

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    $\begingroup$ Depends. Try it on one. If people yell at you, post it to the other. $\endgroup$ Commented May 7, 2014 at 13:38
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    $\begingroup$ If your question doesn't rely on code, it's probably alright to post it here. The general rule is make sure you're asking about the math, not the implementation. $\endgroup$
    – Alexander Gruber Mod
    Commented May 7, 2014 at 14:48

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I would suggest the following guidelines for algorithms, graph theory, and Theory of Computation questions:

  • If you need to tell us what language you're using, it belongs on stackoverflow.

  • If your question can only be answered by referring to or writing actual code, it belongs on stackoverflow.

  • If your question can only be answered by referring to or writing pseudocode, then it belongs anywhere.

  • If your question can be answered without looking at and without writing any code, then it belongs on Math.SE.


  • If your question is about proving an algorithm is correct or runs in a certain time, it belongs on CS.SE or Math.SE

  • If your question uses the word "prove" in any other context it belongs on Math.SE

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    $\begingroup$ If you do post a question about graph theory here, please do not tag it computer science just because you saw it in a computer science course. If you need to tag it as computer science, it probably does not belong here. $\endgroup$ Commented Dec 21, 2015 at 22:06
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Code questions (e.g. "How do I write Dijkstra's algorithm in C++?") are not welcome here.

Math questions (e.g. "Is this graph guaranteed a circuit?"--or something similar) are welcome here, so long as you explain your thoughts on the problem.

Code and math questions can go either way. In general, though, if the question is mainly about the math behind the code, post it here. If it's about implementation, post it on SO.

The fuzzier boundary is between Math.SE and CS.SE (and CSTheory.SE).

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    $\begingroup$ CSTheory.SE is for research-level questions only, analogously to MathOverflow. $\endgroup$ Commented Jan 6, 2017 at 21:15

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