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Often, I find myself in the situation that I write part of a proof or things that I tried out when asking a question, so that people that answer have something to work with. After some comments or answers, I often end up changing the majority of the proof, to actually be correct.

My question is; if I want to have that 'new' proof verified, do I edit most of my question, rendering most of the answers/comments invalid, or do I post a potential duplicate?

I usually end up not updating the proof at all, nor posting a new question. When I do update the proof, I feel as though I never really get verification as the post has gone down the list and received answers already.

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    $\begingroup$ How about not updating the original proof, after you receive hints, comments, and/or answers, but instead write a separate section with a header "Edited Proof". That way comments suggestions and answers to your original post will remain relevant, and others are also free to comment on your improved proof. Or, if you're on the gutsy side, write your edited proof, based on suggestions an an answer to your question. You will likely receive feedback below your post. $\endgroup$
    – amWhy
    Commented Mar 8, 2018 at 21:32
  • $\begingroup$ @amWhy seems like a reasonable solution. One thing I'm left with is that after a while, a post becomes less active so if I edit the original question, there's less of a chance that people will revisit the question to verify my proof. $\endgroup$
    – Marc
    Commented Mar 8, 2018 at 21:41
  • $\begingroup$ I would suggest you do something other than post a question twice: version 1 and version 2. You may end up with votes to close as a duplicate. Keep the question contained in one post, and try doing something along the lines of what I've suggested. As I suggested, keep your original question at the top of the post. You can separate your question, after you've received feedback, and improve the post, below the original post. Don't replace your original post (as many users have little patience with answering a moving target). $\endgroup$
    – amWhy
    Commented Mar 8, 2018 at 21:42
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    $\begingroup$ I think that amWhy's proposal of posting your improved proof as an answer is eminently reasonable. If it is correct, yay! If not, you will almost certainly receive feedback, so also, yay! $\endgroup$
    – Xander Henderson Mod
    Commented Mar 9, 2018 at 3:34
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    $\begingroup$ I wonder if it would be a good idea to study how the codereview se operates, to get an idea what to do with reviews of proofs? $\endgroup$
    – user14972
    Commented Mar 9, 2018 at 3:52

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