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From time to time, questions so trivial they can be answered with a yes or no, come up. My math teacher is busy doing his own stuffs, so there is really nobody around to reach for help. This site as I see it would be a probable place to do that.

But I'm sure people here don't like this sort of questions, so where do I ask, if not on this site?

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    $\begingroup$ I would recommend chat. $\endgroup$
    – apnorton
    Jan 19, 2015 at 1:31
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    $\begingroup$ Are you sure people here don't like that kind of question? Could you, perhaps, place an example of what sort of question you're thinking about in this question? $\endgroup$
    – Milo Brandt
    Jan 19, 2015 at 1:50
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    $\begingroup$ I mean there's chance to show work. So the question would look empty. $\endgroup$
    – most venerable sir
    Jan 19, 2015 at 1:51
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    $\begingroup$ Some related posts: Is there a certain policy with yes/no questions? and Asking questions with very short answers. This seems related, too: 'Yes' and 'No' answers to questions without explanations, acceptable?. $\endgroup$
    – Martin Sleziak
    Jan 19, 2015 at 5:53
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    $\begingroup$ @anorton but chat requires 20 rep... $\endgroup$
    – draks ...
    Jan 19, 2015 at 8:38
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    $\begingroup$ @draks... A possible solution: The person with the trivial question could contribute a non-trivial answer to the site and gain 20 rep. I once needed a (legal) sockpuppet and gained 20 rep in less than one hour, so this isn't hard to do. $\endgroup$
    – apnorton
    Jan 19, 2015 at 18:01
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    $\begingroup$ Try the Wikipedia Mathematics Reference Desk. $\endgroup$
    – Lucian
    Jan 19, 2015 at 20:11
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    $\begingroup$ You should also check out the resources at your school. Your instructor would probably still meet with you if you asked, as well as any TA's. You should also find out if there is a math tutoring center. $\endgroup$
    – Jair Taylor
    Jan 21, 2015 at 4:39
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    $\begingroup$ you need to realize that sometimes some questions might be trivial to others but not to you. Make sure you phrase it in a searchable way, show that you've tried it yourself (and researched it) and make sure to write it so that others can benefit too. I have discovered over the years that many of the questions I have, other people have it too and they don't ask them (no idea why, I think its dum or they don't care, but I care), however, they benefited from me asking the question. It might be the case here. So it depends on the question. If the question is out of scope it will be closed anyway. $\endgroup$
    – Charlie Parker
    Jan 22, 2015 at 22:09
  • $\begingroup$ Another obvious option is to figure out a more extensive... well, extension to the question to make it more than just yes/no. How to do this depends on the question. For instance, if you're asking whether something is true, ask for a demonstration of why. If you're asking for confirmation of a definition, perhaps ask for why it was defined that way (what was the motivation for the definition). By couching the key part you're wanting in something more substantive, you ensure that there will be some future value for others. $\endgroup$
    – Glen O
    Jan 26, 2015 at 14:55

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The determination should probably be made on how helpful the question would be to future users.

If you feel that the question and its answer is likely to be helpful to a future user, then you can ask the question on the main site. Otherwise, chat is likely the best option. (Note that we also have several underutilised rooms dedicated to more specific areas of mathematics among chatrooms associated to the main site.)

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    $\begingroup$ Some of them have no users in it $\endgroup$
    – most venerable sir
    Jan 19, 2015 at 14:37
  • $\begingroup$ Is it gonna show how many users only when users come in. So when they leave it shows zero? $\endgroup$
    – most venerable sir
    Jan 19, 2015 at 14:38
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    $\begingroup$ Chatrooms that seem empty don't currently have any users in them (when someone enters they will be listed, and when they leave their avatars will, too; inactive but present users are greyed out). When messages are posted the room gets "bumped" to the top of the active rooms list, and I'm sure interested users will at least take a peek. Also, the main chatroom is almost never empty. $\endgroup$
    – user642796
    Jan 19, 2015 at 14:45

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