46
votes
Why do users give answers using alternative method when I'm asking what went wrong with my solution?
Many aspects to this. I agree to a great extent with the points raised in the other answers. Yes, there are XY problems. Yes, the question is not here just for the benefit of the asker, and this shows ...
- 131k
36
votes
Asking "Where did my math go wrong" questions
1) A homework problem (with book citation)
Excellent. This provides part of the context, namely where the problem came from. Sadly, many other people don't even bother to state this, and is one ...
- 56.6k
19
votes
Why do users give answers using alternative method when I'm asking what went wrong with my solution?
Not the exact answer to your situation, but it might give some idea, so in that sense, this answer is also an alternative answer to the question that you are asking.
We are not your tutor in here, ...
- 7,265
18
votes
Accepted
Should I post my attempt as an answer or include it in the question
I don't think it's a good idea to post your attempt at an answer. If you're not sure about it, then it is more a part of the question. If you figure it out after asking, though, go ahead and post your ...
- 26.7k
17
votes
Answering "is my approach correct" with a different proof
Your first example is structured like this:
[mathematical statement]
Is this statement true or false and why?
[attempt at proof]
Is this way of looking at it right or not?
It is entirely fair to ...
- 2,645
15
votes
Posting a solution from elsewhere and asking whether it's correct
TLDR: just ignore them if they don't interest you but are otherwise high quality.
If theres too many then maybe we should curtail these but in general when I see a "check my work" question ...
- 16.6k
14
votes
Accepted
Should answering that someone's attempt is correct be posted as a comment?
As detailed elsewhere (see How to answer proof-verification questions?) I do not consider it as best practice to post only "this is correct" as an answer. Usually, something more can be said to make ...
quidMod
- 41.9k
12
votes
Accepted
Attempting to prove the same thing multiple times -- Request For Rules and Guidelines
The main danger with asking multiple questions on a single theorem is that you could easily write several posts where the effort required from answerers is duplicated from question to question - for ...
- 60.5k
11
votes
Is it okay if I use this site to have someone check my work or give a solution?
It seems that there are two separate issues in what you are asking. So let me address them separately:
Is it okay if I use this site to have someone check my work?
This was discussed here on meta ...
- 52.9k
11
votes
Don't close solution verification as dupe, instead remove questions with the tag of [solution-verification] appearing in search
Why many "solution-verification" questions are closed
As has been articulated many times in the past, the goal of Math SE is to create a library of questions and answers. A question should ...
- 27.4k
10
votes
Accepted
"Prove that" vs. "Confirmation of proof" in the title.
In my opinion, no, you do not need to say in the title that it is a proof-verification --- in fact, you do not even need to say that it is a proof.
Phrases such as
"Prove that", "Proving that", "How ...
- 45.5k
10
votes
What is the protocol for telling others you have found your mistake in your working?
If you haven't yet received an answer, answer it yourself. That way, no one will add an answer which merely expresses what you'd already discovered yourself (which would be a waste of time) and your ...
- 60.5k
9
votes
Can I post questions to ask where I am making a mistake?
Interesting that each of the responses so far, to the posting, have assumed that the OP (i.e. original poster) should take specific actions.
To me this ignores the real problem which is that there is ...
- 33.6k
8
votes
Are "Verify if I'm correct" questions really on-topic?
(Too long for a comment, but this is not really an answer).
You're right - these are not typically good "archival" questions. Later users benefit somewhat less from stumbling across these questions ...
- 90.7k
8
votes
How should questions tagged "solution-verification" be answered?
It's a good question, and one I have no universal response to.
I dislike the flat "Yes, that's correct" response though I have used it.
It's effectively meaningless. At best it is Proof by ...
- 68.4k
7
votes
Is it okay if I use this site to have someone check my work or give a solution?
The -verification questions are either the the worst ("too localized") or the best (maximum "research effort") type of question on the site. Opinions differ.
The important thing is to add the tag ...
- 35.2k
7
votes
Accepted
Ask for proof verification and ask for other ways to prove the same statement. One or two questions?
I would advice you to put it in one question. You should tag it as proof-verfication and as alternative-proof, along with other tags regarding the field of the question.
If you will have two ...
- 24.9k
7
votes
Answering "is my approach correct" with a different proof
Two aims are involved here: (1) we need discipline on the site to keep answers relevant to the questions to which they are attached; (2) we do not want to make people feel bad about posting a correct ...
- 17.9k
6
votes
Comment or Answer?
What to do when someone ask for a mistake, comment indicating where he made the mistake or answer indicating where he made the mistake?
If what they seek is the mistake, and you wish to state what ...
- 42.1k
6
votes
Can I post questions to ask where I am making a mistake?
I believe these questions are useful, but you need to be careful, because they are easily mistaken for duplicates of existing questions. I would suggest this format for your future questions (and, ...
- 2,645
5
votes
Accepted
Why does the tag "(solution-verification)" show as "(proof-verification)"?
This is is actually not a bug. When you look more closely at the tag (proof-verification) you can see that there is actually a tag synonym solution-verification $\to$ proof-verification with (proof-...
- 52.9k
5
votes
How to answer proof-verification questions?
At least when the question has been there for some time and nobody has found anything to say about it except "yes, that is correct", then I think it is appropriate to post an answer to that effect, ...
5
votes
Accepted
Are check my work question discouraged on this site?
I didn't vote on either of these questions, nor had I seen them until I saw this question. However, I can give my feedback and suggest possible reasons why the what went wrong question was received ...
- 28.3k
5
votes
Why do users give answers using alternative method when I'm asking what went wrong with my solution?
I think you made your question clear enough in the initial posting, and I think everyone contributing to the discussion here would have endeavoured to answer the question you asked, not solved the ...
- 49.5k
5
votes
Should the tag "solution-verification not be removed (from the main site)?
The primary question concerning the tags solution-verification (and its synonym proof-verification) is, in my opinion, whether questions of this type are allowed on this site.
At the moment, it seems ...
- 52.9k
4
votes
Can I get [solution-validation] on my idea to remove this tag?
Any thoughts? Should the tag stay, or should it be considered for removal?
My personal opinion that if this type of questions is still allowed then we should probably keep also the corresponding tag(...
- 52.9k
3
votes
Comment or Answer?
I think the confusion that there are two questions:
the maths problem
"Where did I go wrong?"
The questioner is asking the second of these, and it should be answered in an Answer.
This gives you ...
- 2,922
3
votes
Why do users give answers using alternative method when I'm asking what went wrong with my solution?
(I am capturing some notes from a chat into a basic answer so that it doesn't get lost).
I personally try to answer what went wrong either as a comment or as a part of my answer. I also upvote the ...
- 2,121
3
votes
Why do users give answers using alternative method when I'm asking what went wrong with my solution?
Think of it that way - if somebody were to know the answer to your question, they would give it. If they don't say it - well, they just don't know it.
I also find it extremely annoying because ...
- 11
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