# Recent deletion of a question

There was a recent homework question that went along the lines of finding integer solutions to $(4x^2-1)(4y^2-1)=(4z^2-1)^2$, but it seems to be deleted now. Is this correct? I don't have 10k reputation, so I can't tell.

It would be pity if OP decided to delete this question because of the comments it received (telling that it should show some work). Since I also made a comment, I would feel particularly guilty if I made a contribution into deletion of the post.

Note that I am not attempting to revive discussion about homework problems, how much one should show effort, etc. I already know such threads exist (plenty in number) and are quite contentious in nature. I am just curious about the state of this particular post.

Thanks!

• The poster is in Shanghai, China. Is it really very likely that he has a clear idea of the (much debated, and possibly nonexistent) etiquette implications of English phrasing that "posts in the imperative", or would know how to find an equivalent non-imperative phrasing, or would be confident of a different phrasing if the source of the problem is from a book or website in English? In books, websites, and competition sources, in all languages I have seen, it is standard for a problem to be stated in the imperative: find $x$, prove $P$, solve for $y$, determine $z$. – zyx Aug 31 '13 at 18:21
• @zyx: Good point. I agree that I was inconsiderate of the fact that poster lives in Shanghai, China. So if 3 users with sufficient rep vote to undelete this question, I would feel less guilty. :( To make matters worse, I think this question is quite interesting! – Prism Aug 31 '13 at 19:06