Use this tag when examining what is on- or off-topic, and why.
11
votes
3answers
235 views
Can we only ask practical questions at MSE?
According to: http://math.stackexchange.com/help/dont-ask
You should only ask practical, answerable questions based on actual
problems that you face. Chatty, open-ended questions diminish the
...
22
votes
1answer
367 views
Is the 'sister' question on topic?
I suspect we've all seen My sister absolutely refuses to learn math by now - it's lodged at the top of the Stack Exchange hot questions list, it's been tweeted, it's got 27k views and hundreds of ...
6
votes
1answer
95 views
Am I allowed to ask for translation references and/or suggestions in MSE?
Well, there's not much more to say than what the title already suggests. I'd like to know if there are some common translations (i.e. some widely used and accepted translations) from English to ...
11
votes
1answer
126 views
Is it ok to provide a concept I idealized and ask if there's a mathematical field that works with it?
Sometimes, I have ideas about things, and I'm quite sure that there's probably some mathematical field that deals with such a concept. Is it OK to make a question providing a sample of this idea, and ...
6
votes
0answers
160 views
What would be an acceptable way of opening a question about this topic?
I have often (on the math.se main page) encountered the idea that, "A structure must never be viewed in isolation, but always as an object of some category." This doesn't make sense to me, since:
We ...
1
vote
5answers
173 views
Has this question been asked before: Graphs of functions we should all know
I recall as a student when I asked TA's for help on problems (calculus and analysis), they often had an idea of how to approach problems (usually regarding limits, sequences, integration) before even ...
1
vote
1answer
185 views
Is MSE a good place for this question
I want to place a bounty on this question, but I'm not sure if MSE is the best place for it. In general, where is the best place to ask that type of question. It seems that neural networks are ...
4
votes
1answer
206 views
Is math.stackexchange the place to ask questions about scientific programming algorithms?
I am looking for a Java-based library or algorithm for efficiently implementing the second Chebyshev function: $\psi(x) = \sum\limits_{m=1}^{\infty}\vartheta\left(\sqrt[m]{x}\right)$ .
Is this an ...
8
votes
1answer
204 views
What to do when one wants to “revive” a question
Prior to posting a question on MSE, I often find a similar question that's been asked, but doesn't have a solution I'm looking for or the solutions are written for a more mathematically mature person ...
14
votes
3answers
462 views
Centralized solutions to textbook problems considered harmful?
Recently I've been toying with the idea of going through Crandall and Pomerance's Prime Numbers: A Computational Perspective cover-to-cover, to the best of my ability. However, it's a very difficult ...
18
votes
3answers
565 views
Do we actually “welcome questions about: • Software that mathematicians use”?
On the FAQ it says: "We welcome questions about: • Software that mathematicians use". However, when I went to post a question about maple, I found this:
About maple
For questions involving ...
17
votes
1answer
367 views
I just noticed that there is a “philosophy” tag on Math.SE, what sorts of questions are on-topic within this tag?
I have always tended to assume that any of my more philosophical questions about mathematics would off-topic for Math.SE. As such, I have tended to restrict (or try to restrict) my questions to those ...
-1
votes
1answer
169 views
Is it appropriate to ask a self-answered question on proof style?
I just read https://lukepalmer.wordpress.com/2013/03/25/follow-your-nose-proofs/, and realized that "follow your nose proofs" were already analyzed by Dijkstra/Scholten/Feijen/Gries in the context of ...
-1
votes
1answer
216 views
Is it off-topic asking who were “famous” mathematicians / logicians? [closed]
I want to know who you consider the most famous / important mathematicians and logicians. Would that be off-topic? I know of Gödel, A.Church, Turing, Emil Post, Saul Kripke and I wonder if these are ...
5
votes
2answers
332 views
Should I ask this question on stackoverflow or math.stackexchange?
I am working on Project Euler Problem 420. My solution has alot of code, and I've asked questions about the math involved on math.stackexchange. However, My code is still not producing correct ...
-3
votes
4answers
112 views
Is it okay to ask questions pertaining to the aesthetics of mathematical symbols?
I'm fed up with the infinity glyph. For instance, when it's used to denote an interval like $[0,\infty),$ the infinity symbol is clearly not tall enough, and its far too elongated; it just doesn't fit ...
2
votes
1answer
65 views
Is it proper to ask about how Math is applied?
I have a pretty specific question that I want to ask on Math.SE but I'm unsure if it's the place to do so.
The question I want to ask on Math.SE: How is it that Prime Polynomials are applied to ...
1
vote
1answer
117 views
Allowed questions - overcoming a particular difficulty I'm having with mathematics.
Is a question about how to overcome a particular difficulty I'm having with math appropriate? In particular, my difficulty is with applied math, and the question I wish to ask is as follows.
I have ...
11
votes
0answers
378 views
Closing contest problems
This question is about the policy for general contest problems, NOT ongoing contest problems.
I noticed today that this question is being closed and again, for reasons I cannot understand. I would ...
18
votes
2answers
741 views
Ok to ask questions below the “graduate” level?
I've noticed that a lot of tag descriptions say questions should be at the graduate level or higher. I've been doing a lot of review lately (I have a bachelor's in math and I'm starting to delve in to ...
6
votes
3answers
277 views
Is there a certain policy with yes/no questions?
I always feel weird posting yes or no questions because in short someone ultimately answers the question with a simple 2 or 3 letter word and then I'm choosing a correct answer that didn't really give ...
5
votes
2answers
240 views
Questions about learning
Can I ask questions about how and where to learn a specific subject? In my case that would be something like:
What is the minimum knowledge necessary to start learning about kalman filtering? ...
1
vote
2answers
156 views
Is it okay to ask for help in clarifying a thought?
Is it okay to ask for help in clarifying a thought? Here's the particular thought I want help clarifying.
It seems that conservative extensions can alter the notion of structure homomorphism (but ...
1
vote
1answer
125 views
Is it OK to ask questions in solid mechanics
As the title says: Is it OK to ask solid mechanics questions in MSE. I know that my questions may belong somewhere else. The reason I want to ask my questions here is because I want rigorous answers ...
10
votes
3answers
400 views
Questions that Ask to Verify Solution to Problem
Is it okay to ask questions where you give the solution and ask people to review it to see if it is correct?
3
votes
1answer
108 views
Is it possible to ask a question about an answer of another question?
I found a linear algebra question and found Gone's answer interesting , but I didn't really understand it. I'd usually comment asking for a clarification, but apparently Gone who was once Bill has ...
4
votes
1answer
222 views
Questions on Mathematica
A Mathematica question just came up and I answered it.
Someone asked that it should be deleted as off-topic.
There is a 'mathematica' tag in MSE, which was used in this question.
Also, there is a ...
9
votes
5answers
199 views
Questions asking for topic suggestions
In this question, the asker needs to choose a topic for an independent study project, and is asking for suggestions.
Are such questions appropriate here?
As the comments express some differing ...
17
votes
2answers
378 views
Are questions of the form “has this ever been studied?” appropriate?
Are requests of the form "has this ever been studied, and if so, may I please have a reference?" considered appropriate?
But let me be more specific.
So firstly, there's the point-set or ...
2
votes
1answer
178 views
why Mathematics meta doesn't allow me to ask this question?
prove that , if x is rational number then , tan(x) is not rational number.
i tried to ask this question , it says , " ops! Your question couldn't be submitted because:
•It does not meet our quality ...
8
votes
2answers
207 views
Is a question about suggestions for courses to take and books to study appropriate?
I am someone with a good background in Logic and a decent one in Set Theory. I am pursuing a PhD in Philosophy but would very much like to increase my knowledge of mathematics (pure mathematics in ...
-9
votes
1answer
198 views
“List you favorite” Questions
I want to post a 'community question' that will be titled something like "What is your favorite X"? (where X is some family of mathematical objects - I don't want to be very specific right now ...
8
votes
3answers
356 views
Questions about motivations of a given mathematical view
This is closely related to, but I don't think a duplicate of, this meta-question.
Is it appropriate to ask questions about why, e.g., a constructive mathematician might believe classical mathematics ...
1
vote
1answer
213 views
Upper Bound for Difficulty of Questions on Math.SE
I know that there has been previous discussion about the inappropriateness of certain questions for mathoverflow.net, such as questions pertaining to elementary notions of compactness or ...
8
votes
6answers
533 views
Asking questions with very short answers
What should one do when having a short question to which one can't find the answer? With short questions I mean question which generally can be answered with 'no' or 'yes', a simple example, a simple ...
9
votes
2answers
381 views
Discussing Ideas on Math.SE
Lets say, one has a great Idea, for some proof, some theory or anything by that path. For non-scientists (and even true scientists), it can be hard to get heard. One great thing is posting it on the ...
15
votes
2answers
515 views
“Out of idle curiosity” question about a program generating palindromic prime numbers
I'm a programmer and software designer. I'm definitely not a mathematician and my maths is quite basic, so this is not the kind of place I feel comfortable in. :)
In order to win a bet with a friend ...
1
vote
3answers
281 views
Should we answer questions related to untimed IQtests?
This question is related to this post. Please see the comments for more details.
How should we deal with problems like this on math.se? That is, problems coming from an untimed IQ test which is ...
2
votes
1answer
183 views
Is it ok if I have many extremely short, and “elementary” questions to ask on Stack, and I just merged them in 1 question?
They may or may not be of similar topics.
I am afraid I would spam up the site and push other more important questions to the bottom, if I listed them as individual questions...
And I have about 20 ...
13
votes
2answers
382 views
Posting multiple questions as one?
It often happens that (usually somewhat inexperienced) users post several questions on more or less related themes as one single question. To give a stylized example, someone may ask:
Which of the ...
8
votes
3answers
636 views
math.SE policy on question from ongoing contests
Triangle Geometry Question
That is a question from the Online Math Open which is currently in progress.I would be grateful to know about math.stackexchange's policy on such matters.
Please see ...
5
votes
0answers
288 views
Mathematical Proofs
Is this the proper site to ask about the correctness of one's proof? The proofs I would intend on asking questions about are elementary mathematics proofs such as a proof about infinitely many primes, ...
10
votes
1answer
260 views
Is this an adequate place to ask for simplifications on mathematical concepts?
I'm not a professional mathematician nor a skilled amateur mathematician, but I have interest in knowing what is the purpose of some mathematical subjects in a simple and clear way, accessible to a ...
5
votes
2answers
233 views
Posting a question that was solved before being post.
I wanted to submit a question on MSE, but just as I was about to click the Post Your Question button, I realized I could solve that problem in a way I had never thought of before. That question is a ...
11
votes
3answers
430 views
Should we allow ongoing journal questions?
Recently, a question was asked. In an answer, it was explained that the question was a problem from the most recent Mathematics Magazine Problems section, and that the answerer was in fact the author ...
2
votes
1answer
126 views
Is this question appropriate--availability of (known) reference?
Recently I posted a question asking if anyone could provide information on a paper(for which I furnished a full cite), as the paper seemed not to be available on sites that I knew to check (and some ...
1
vote
1answer
152 views
I need your advice.
I need some good advice. There is one math.problem which I asked here. It is my second attempt. I have some new ideas and new results, but question is already big enough. I don't want to delete ...
1
vote
1answer
123 views
The limit of questions concerning Mathematical Software
I looked through the questions about programming and software, and I couldn't seem to find anything that was asking what I wanted to ask. If I've missed something I apologize.
I answered two ...
0
votes
1answer
71 views
Are resource gathering questions on topic?
Essentially, are questions like "What is a good resource explaining [this specific math topic] in [this specific way]?" and/or "Where can I find a link to an archived copy of [paticular website about ...
31
votes
6answers
1k views
Should I ask stupid questions?
As I'm starting to study mathematics and I feel like to ask a lot of questions, but I'm aware that I could answer part of them alone instead of just asking.
Sometimes I can answer the question a few ...
