Questions tagged [asking-questions]
Questions specifically about the process of asking questions on this site.
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questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
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"Maybe answered questions" box on "Ask Question" page is much more useful than "Search Q&A"
I often find that "Search Q&A" is quite useless when I want to find a question or something related to it. But I've also noticed that when I'm about to ask a question, the "Questions that may ...
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Quick beginner guide for asking a well-received question
Mean structure proposed
I am writing this post for new users who don't have the time to read the full article of how to ask a good question. In this post, I will give my opinion of what structure ...
user1107523
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Could "Ask Question" dialog be more helpful?
The Ask Question dialog has an appropriate faint overlay text in the Title input area:
what's your math question? be specific.
(Aside: this seems to suggest ...
user53153
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Has the culture of acceptable questions on SE changed over time?
I am relatively new to SE, but I have noticed something quite peculiar. I often am reading lots of old questions (years old) and encounter many that are very short, show very little self-attempt, and ...
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How to properly ask a "textbook recommendation" question?
I've seen several "textbook recommendation" type questions on MSE, and some of them have been quite popular and helpful. In a lot of them, the poster provides their mathematical background information ...
- 1,186
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Showing related questions from MathOverflow
I'm a professional mathematician but I usually have non-professional questions, or perhaps some dumb professional ones that do not reach “research level”. Nevertheless, I think that sometimes it might ...
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Referencing answer given on SE
Recently I asked the math.SE community my first question (link), after a few minutes an experienced used resolved my issue with a smooth answer.
But my problem is that this question was derived from ...
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Improving guidance on the "Ask question" page
I am aware that this issue has been rehashed on Meta numerous times, so I was surprised to discover today that the guidance given to posters on the "Ask question" page is still far from ...
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I have a question that has been asked and answered, but I am not satisfied with the answers provided.
Generally, I have been very satisfied with the stack exchanges, but on occasion I run into a problem like this. I am trying to understand the significance of the transition functions of a manifold ...
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Questions regarding mathematical programming
What is the best place to ask questions about mathematical programming, between Math.SE and StackOverflow?
What I have in mind is the following type of questions:
Solving the word problem in a group ...
- 1,226
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Can I ask for examples?
I'm thinking about asking for curious examples of certain topic specific, like for example of finite groups and sets where they can act. It is ok to ask such questions in math.stackexchange?
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Add give references to "how do I ask good questions page"
On the page https://math.stackexchange.com/help/how-to-ask I would suggest to change
Be specific
If you ask a vague question, you’ll get a vague answer. But if you give us details and context,...
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Asking for websites
In the math Stack Exchange can I ask for websites relating to math that others might suggest? For example, I was thinking about asking this question, but was hesitant:
Next semester I'm taking ...
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How to ask many related questions?
I've been looking into $n$-bit Gray codes just a bit recently, and I have several questions about them, especially since they have so many different interpretations: Hamiltonian paths in $n$-unit ...
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How Rigid Is the Multiple Question Rule When Analyzing Mathematical Concepts?
I was wondering if there could be exceptions to the multiple question rule when analyzing mathematical concepts.
For example, suppose a user quotes a math-related paragraph on Wikipedia, and wants to ...
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Should I Delete My Answer Even Though It's Correct?
I have answered a question concerning the derivation of a physics problem here: Trying to derive Newton's Shell Theorem, How do I integrate this?
For some clumsy reason, I wasn't considering the ...
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How could the "Properties of 2015" question be on-topic?
The question Is there something special about 2015? has just popped on the reopen queue. Although I agree that it is not right for Math.SE as it is (too broad and it inherently doesn't have a correct ...
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breaking a question into smaller parts
I have a question that I wrote here determinant of infinitely large matrix by decomposition that required a rather lengthy explanation. Would it be appropriate to break down that question into smaller ...
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Where and how to post a "big-list" question with multiple parts?
I have the following question I'd like to ask:
"Which claims made by Fermat have had published proofs using math available in his time?"
This brings up several issues:
Is MSE the right forum for ...
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Are there some Mathjax features that don't work on the 'Ask a public question' page?
I just posted a question on the Mathematics site that required the use of set brackets; however I could not get them to work as usual on the 'Ask a public question' page. On their own in math mode, ...
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No longer accepting questions? Then back and forth?
Upon some amount of time I've been allowed to ask a question again after being barred from asking. Upon asking a question I have received no negative reviews. But yet I have been barred again. May I ...
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Adding the link of the MathJax tutorial in the Tour and/or the sidebar (bulletin) displayed when one is going to ask a question
Can we include a prominent link to MathJax in the Tour, a suggested here, and on the sidebar (bulletin) that displays on the right side when one is going to ask a question, as suggested in the ...
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Should there be a notification when a user asks multiple questions in succession?
Many of us have seen instances of a user asking multiple questions, often a few minutes apart. When this happens, the user usually puts little to no effort on answering the questions themselves and ...
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Proposal: Require first time question askers to pass a short quiz on how to ask a good question, before posting their first question
Given the large number of first time question askers who evidently do not really read the advice on how to ask a good question, I propose:
The site should require first time question askers to take a ...
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Implementing a fill-in-the-blank type structure for new users asking questions
A notable problem on this site seems to be PSQs from new users. In order to encourage better questions, I suggest implementing a fill-in-the-blank type structure for new users asking questions. Once a ...
user1082389
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Can I make a collapse/expandable area?
Is it possible to make a collapse/expandable section in a question ?
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Add quantum computing stackexchange to "What to ask here" page
In the help center on the page What topics can I ask about here there is a list of sister sites that might be better suited for some questions that are still on-topic here. I propose to add quantum ...
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Placeholder text in question box to remind showing effort
We all know there is this constant issue that questions get asked without the user showing any own effort towards solving them on his own. Because of this one reads often first comments like this:
...
- 1,638
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What's wrong with my post?
I'm sorry that this might be a duplicate question. I've checked out many posts on meta, but it seems that none of them suits my situation. If it's duplicate, please close it.
Here's my question: I ...
- 345
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How can I make my question better?
I asked a question a yesterday and haven't seen much activity for a while. I am really struggling to properly formulate my question. Is there any way I can improve this post? Should I make a new ...
- 262
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Double mathjax when asking
I have been getting double mathjax recently when asking questions, and only when asking questions. It renders correctly on the preview but just makes my input box look weird. I use the latest version ...
- 6,817
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Can I change a little the existing question to a new one?
I have previously asked an obvious question and got no answer but very helpful comments which answer me. I find that if I change a little, qualification of question and may be answers will grow up.
...
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Where should I put this question?
I submitted this question: Difference between dynamic system and complex system
And it was noted to me that this didn't belong to the site, so the first thing I ask is: why? and the second is: Where ...
- 2,456
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How to ask questions in context?
I'm used to provide the context before asking the real question. However, I noticed that this writing style leads to very poor automatically generated previews on the main page:
Convergence of ...
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How can I share interesting problems I know the answer to without having my question closed for lack of context?
I've run across a few fun problems I want to share. Some are just fun problems with quick/clever answers. I want to share them on here, but I don't really know how to do so without people (rightfully) ...
user223391
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Understand downvotes on my initially well-received questions
Good afternoon,
Since I started using this website I've always tried to make my question better to satisfy the generous members sharing their knowledge.
Usually, I don't ask big questions, but short ...
user1107523
2
votes
0
answers
83
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How can I improve my question?
In what way should I improve my question to get an answer?
Since this is a pretty "classical" example, I assume that many people have seen it and can say something about it. So there must be a ...
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What advice do you give to someone who's written an incomplete question below any understanding?
It happened recently and again today (post now deleted) that someone submitted a question with so little content that it was close to impossible to guess anything from it.
We all know that by the ...
- 27.2k
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Question Limit due to questions not being received well
Yesterday I asked two questions for the first time on the Maths Stack. The initial question was well received and I was given many helpful answers. However, my second question was less well received. ...
- 259
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A suggestion to improve 'similar questions' suggestions: let's include tags.
Sorry for the title.
When I write a new question, right below the title, a drop-down menu opens up with suggestions of questions similar to mine.
My suggestion is to interact that menu with the tag ...
- 5,081
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Should there be a place to check the quality of your question before posting?
I've recently had a question put on hold, and in retrospect, I can see how the people who put it on hold would have felt compelled to do so, and I don't want to argue this specific case.
But I do ...
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How to get an answer when the bounty doesn't work?
I have recently asked a question here. First it has some meaning problems but now it doesn't. It didn't get any answers so I set a bounty but it doesn't work how can I get an answer? I really need an ...
- 3,539
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How to get people to respond to an edit made to a question?
I asked a question here regarding pythagoras' theorem and the multivariable chain rule. I received some responses and edited my question to better reflect my new understanding. I commented on the ...
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What to do with unanswered questions?
I have some questions on MathSE that does not have actually any answer. What is the best to do other than bounty ? Asking the same question for a second time or trying to edit the question ?
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Where do I ask about research topics and departments?
I would like to ask the community where I could apply for a PhD, given some (advanced) topics that I really like.
If I ask it on math.se or mathoverflow, I'm afraid that they send me to academia.se, ...
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How come some of my questions get only some comments but not any answer?
Certain times, I post questions that get some valuable comments but never an answer.
For example the question for comparison on real numbers and caveats.
I am not sure why this happening. Is my post ...
- 1,579
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How can I improve my specific question?
My question
I am here to understand how improve to formulate my question.
As matter of fact in the link I have tried to show my attempt and I have required as a question to check if my attempt is ...
- 343
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vertex transitive self answer
Can I self answer a question I post about examples of connected, vertex transitive graphs? I cannot find anything listing larger ones, and am even less likely to find examples with thoughtful choices ...
- 1,017
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Does this question on observed animal choices in a binary decision tree belong on math.SE?
I am conducting biological research on animal behavior. I have an experimental design that looks to me awfully like a math problem. I don't know if it is suitable for the math.SE and I have problems ...
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How to write question on MSE offline?
I have recently downloaded MathJax-2.7.4 and successfully render test htmls in folder test.
Then I save the webpage https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/ask offline to write question. But when I ...
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