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Search options not deleted user 3111

Use this tag when asking what is on- or off-topic on the main site, and why.

5 votes
Accepted

Is it proper to request a specific paper here?

Based on my experience, it is certainly acceptable to ask for someone to summarize a narrow portion of a paper, eg. the proof of a Lemma or the requirements of a construction, or to help you locate a …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
4 votes
Accepted

Referring to WolframAlpha / equivalent systems for verification

There is a wide gap between Answers that use WA (or other mathematical software) to substantiate lengthy computations and Answers which merely report something that WA says. At a minimum you should e …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
8 votes

Is it okay to ask very basic questions on SE?

First, while questions at all levels are welcome at Math.SE, this is not true of all SE communities, so don't over-generalize from the situation here. When contemplating a post you think is "very bas …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
6 votes

On the appropriateness of some of my recent posts

As the "question" here seems to beg the issue of appropriateness (repeatedly acknowledging an "ambition [that] ultimately leads outside of the StackExchange format"), let me try to be as constructive …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
3 votes

Asking multiple-choice questions

Does it improve a multiple choice question to edit out the answer choices? No. It removes some context, that the poster is asking a multiple choice problem, and removing context is bad however much …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
5 votes
Accepted

Are requests for proof reading written articles appropriate on MSE?

It is desirable that Questions posted on Math.SE be fairly self-contained and definitively answerable in terms of reasoned mathematical argument. Naturally these goals are not always perfectly met, b …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
0 votes

How to deal with questions, I am not sure they fit the "rules" of this site?

Sometimes users post questions that "jump into the thick of things" without really understanding the words that are being used in an assignment. My advice is often to take a step back and ask a simpl …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
13 votes

Can I ask about a problem solving approach?

Provided you connect your "approach" to an actual problem to be solved, Math.SE should treat your Question as on-topic ("Is my approach correct?). However note that the context is important. Readers …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
7 votes

Calculator problems that have nothing to do with math

I revised the short wiki text (aka "usage guidance") for the calculator tag as follows: Questions regarding calculators being used to solve math problems. A clear statement of the math problem to be …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
4 votes

Is this question too broad? Would it be well-received?

With a bit of additional work I think this would be suitable to post on the main site. The additional work I have in mind is to list the sporadic simple groups and their largest prime divisor of thei …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
3 votes

May I ask a question which contains longer verbatim quotes from a book?

Likely the OP had in mind asking this Question about Devlin's account of Euclid's proof of the infinitude of primes. In pressing the OP to give a more meaningful title, the length of material quoted …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
15 votes
2 answers
787 views

Check my proof at a remote link considered harmful

My perhaps overly obvious suggestion is that requests for proof verification should be limited to proof actually given in the Question statement. This was prompted by a recently re-opened Question, b …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
5 votes
Accepted

Is either Math.SE or StackOverflow an appropriate forum for questions about Magma?

My short answer is that being on-topic requires some intended application of the mathematically useful software. Magma Computational Algebra System is a purchasable product which is promoted as "a la …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
6 votes
Accepted

Would such a reference request question be considered on-topic?

Requests for references to applied mathematics literature are on-topic here. That said, your interests may be so specialized that better chances of a well-crafted reply exist in another SE site. I'm …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k
4 votes

Is this the right place to get feedback on an idea?

One might ask about logical equivalence of your preferred definition and any of the several well-known definitions of fractal dimension. That's a reasonable problem statement, but context is also req …
hardmath's user avatar
  • 37.4k

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