Timeline for answer to How do I ask homework questions on Physics Stack Exchange? by David Z
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Post Revisions
53 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2022 at 5:51 | comment | added | IvanaGyro | The original intention of the Internet is to provide information easily for everyone. So, websites should be the teacher helping the people who cannot find a proper teacher or friend to solve their problems. It's not clear why this famous physics forum has to treat itself as the final place to solve the question. Learning is to improves someone by giving them the correct answers. We all agree to a machine learning system cannot perform well if only giving it ambiguous answers. Humans are not quite different from machine learning. Complete and correct answers are necessary for learning. | |
| Apr 25, 2022 at 23:40 | history | edited | BioPhysicist | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 61 characters in body
|
| Mar 31, 2022 at 14:09 | history | edited | robMod | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
added 52 characters in body
|
| Jun 28, 2021 at 18:35 | comment | added | Aditya | @DavidZ Also to point out the fact being a student means large curriculum load that is used for academic evaluation, meaning trying to google (of course beyond the standard texts), will take enough time to make them short of time for other activities, so with that reflection, so far with my experience with the site as an undergrad, unless you are highly specific in an area, that's reserved for researchers, chances are that you are going to be left out, unless of course, the question is too speculative, open ended, vague that arouses general interest, that goes unseen by mods :/ | |
| Jun 28, 2021 at 18:30 | comment | added | Aditya | The term 'trivial' is relative, it seems that any moderator here has set their standard high enough to make any question of the entirety of undergrad it seems(perhaps even higher). Perhaps you will be contented to know that any question I ask, is that part that is not given in standard references, this place is already seems a very restrictive and demotivational, why would I care to come forth and ask here, hoping that I would get it right this time. | |
| Jun 27, 2021 at 18:32 | comment | added | David Z | @Aditya The point is that you should use whatever personalized resources are available to you to help you determine whether your question makes sense and is not trivial, before asking it here. You don't necessarily have to have people to ask, that's okay, but you can still search standard reference sites or textbooks if you have any. Beyond that, you might want to ask a separate question on meta about what you can do differently to help your questions be received better. People appreciate it when you show you're willing to learn. | |
| Jun 27, 2021 at 14:17 | comment | added | Aditya | If I could have asked my profs, had any friends, i would have not come here :/ Even when I dont demand for solutions, neither blind math, yet still my questions are still getting close, just because of one simple reason: I used the word "Problem", Moreover, the person closed the question in under one minute, surely my question still require reading time of more than a minute, which really makes me question just how thoughtful the question closing authority is while doing their task. | |
| Dec 24, 2018 at 4:34 | comment | added | user191954 | Regarding a 'good' example, physics.stackexchange.com/q/7070, I believe that one's off-topic as check-my-work; I just voted to close it and there appears to be one other VtC pending. The title doesn't hint at any concept, and answering it boils down to saying 'that part of your method is wrong'. There're some conceptual stuff, but that's all based on a misconception from the process of solving which is not explicitly addressed. | |
| Dec 24, 2018 at 4:27 | history | edited | user191954 | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
That question has a really bad title; I've edited it. It's still essentially the same question.
|
| Apr 16, 2018 at 6:17 | history | edited | Gaurang Tandon | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
that question is 404 for <10k users
|
| Jun 19, 2017 at 14:52 | history | edited | Pritt Balagopal | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 111 characters in body
|
| Apr 13, 2017 at 12:40 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://physics.stackexchange.com/ with https://physics.stackexchange.com/
|
|
| Mar 16, 2017 at 15:45 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://meta.physics.stackexchange.com/ with https://physics.meta.stackexchange.com/
|
|
| Mar 16, 2017 at 15:45 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://meta.physics.stackexchange.com/ with https://physics.meta.stackexchange.com/
|
|
| Mar 16, 2017 at 15:45 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://meta.physics.stackexchange.com/ with https://physics.meta.stackexchange.com/
|
|
| Mar 16, 2017 at 15:44 | history | edited | CommunityBot |
replaced http://meta.math.stackexchange.com/ with https://math.meta.stackexchange.com/
|
|
| Dec 8, 2016 at 14:46 | history | edited | Emilio Pisanty | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 404 characters in body
|
| Oct 3, 2016 at 15:27 | comment | added | sammy gerbil | 1. My query is the lack of clarity in the wording : a new user directed here when his Qn is closed would interpret it as I suggested 3 comments up. 2. This is inconsistent with what you said under the deleted Qn about not wanting anyone to benefit from a complete answer. If a complete answer is bad for a 3rd party reading it within 1 month, why isn't it bad for a different 3rd party reading it 1 year later? The 1 month time limit suggests it is the OP who should not see the complete answer (in case it is handed in as hw), which obviously does not apply if the OP posted the complete answer. | |
| Oct 3, 2016 at 14:48 | comment | added | David Z Mod | @sammygerbil (2 comments up) Even questions that ask for the numerical answer can be homework questions. The thing to realize is that the definition given in this post does not correspond to a specific set of attributes of the post. It takes some intuition to apply this definition. This was by design. (1 comment up) Theoretically, yes, complete answers are never welcome (and whether the OP posts the answer is irrelevant), but after a month or so we're more inclined to leave it alone. | |
| Oct 2, 2016 at 20:42 | comment | added | sammy gerbil | And regarding the deletion of complete answers, what is a "suitable time" after which a complete answer might be posted? Your recent comment to me under "A moving particle sticking to the rod" (Qn now deleted) indicated that complete answers are never welcome, even when posted by the OP. | |
| Oct 2, 2016 at 20:35 | comment | added | sammy gerbil | I find the definition of "homework" given above confusing and unclear. ... any question whose value lies in helping you understand the method by which the question can be solved, rather than getting the answer itself seems to be saying it's "hw" if you are asking "how can I solve this?" but not if you are asking "what is the (numerical) answer?" | |
| Sep 9, 2016 at 7:33 | comment | added | David Z Mod | @peterh "How can I solve problems like..." is not what we mean by a specific conceptual question. Yes, questions like that will be closed. Questions that are edited to meet the guidelines, in the sense that they are actually meant, do get reopened, it's just that the OP rarely goes through with making the edits. | |
| Sep 8, 2016 at 19:02 | comment | added | peterh | @Marine1 Theoretically, if you 1) ask for a specific concept (i.e. "how can I solve problems like...") and 2) show some effort toward the solution (i.e. you explain, what you tried, and why it doesn't work), then your question could be acceptable. Unfortunately, in the current practice, even these high-level questions are mostly closed. :-( | |
| Jan 17, 2016 at 15:35 | comment | added | Revolucion for Monica | I don't agree with the answerer opinion I self study Physics and I have no one to check my work or provide me some hints. I will never find out a friend, classmate, or teacher in my neighborhood to answer such questions. | |
| Oct 24, 2015 at 14:36 | comment | added | Calmarius | @DavidZ It was often a problem, that when I asked a question about the modern physics topics, the answers are often so obfuscated that only someone who already have BSc, MSc in Physics and Mathematics can understand it. Now I know why: the site assumes the asker are an university student working on their PhD or a researcher working in a lab, and it all should clear for the asker. The site doesn't cater for those who are just curious and learn Physics only for fun... | |
| Oct 21, 2015 at 3:10 | comment | added | David Z Mod | @Calmarius well, one can be a student while self-studying, but if you don't think the environment of this site suits you, then that is probably the right decision for you. | |
| Oct 20, 2015 at 22:20 | comment | added | Calmarius | "site for active researchers, academics and students of physics and astronomy" Thanks for pointing this out, it will save me lots of trouble. I won't participate on this site anymore, because I'm not an active researcher, student or academic. (just self learn things) | |
| Oct 3, 2015 at 16:18 | comment | added | DanielSank | With respect to "If you're asking about a specific homework problem from a textbook, include the book and the problem number, so that someone trying to answer the question can go look it up themselves if they need to.", I disagree. Users frequently use references and fail to include enough of the question such that a would-be answerer who does not have the book can offer a useful response. Seems better to require the post to either transcribe the entire question or a condensed rewording, as long as the entire content of the original question is in the post. | |
| Dec 1, 2014 at 18:57 | comment | added | David Z Mod | @Hypnosifl Ask me in Physics Chat and I can address those questions | |
| Dec 1, 2014 at 18:33 | comment | added | Hypnosifl | @David Z - What would define a non-"educational" question? Aren't the vast majority of questions asked on the site because people want to learn something about a specific area of physics? If your view is that any question asked for the sake of curiosity/learning is "homework", is that your personal interpretation or is it part of official policy? And if the latter, could you point me to a Meta or policy page stating this? | |
| Dec 1, 2014 at 18:20 | comment | added | David Z Mod | @Hypnosifl the point of including that text is that we don't have to distinguish puzzles from non-puzzles. The homework policy applies to all questions whose value is educational, regardless of whether they actually come from homework assignments. | |
| Dec 1, 2014 at 17:50 | comment | added | Hypnosifl | "This includes not just questions from actual homework assignments, but also self-study problems, puzzles, etc." - This seems too vague, I think it needs elaboration--what distinguishes a "puzzle" from any other question? As it is, this gets used as an excuse to shut down questions that people judge too "basic" even if they are not homework--I don't see why this question would qualify as a self-study "puzzle" but any more technical question about physics principles wouldn't. | |
| Oct 22, 2014 at 18:46 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
update name of tag
|
| May 7, 2014 at 17:03 | comment | added | user31782 | '-1'. I do not agree with this point:"It's not enough to just show your work and ask where you went wrong. If you just need someone to check your work, you can always seek out a friend, classmate, or teacher." There may be some Physics enthusiasts who just do self study and they have no one to check their work. The definition of Phys.SE does not include "enthusiasts" so you may say, this is not a website for them. My downvote is just my opinion. | |
| Mar 28, 2014 at 16:48 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
fix headings
|
| Mar 28, 2014 at 5:34 | history | rollback | David ZMod |
Rollback to Revision 12
|
|
| Mar 23, 2014 at 1:26 | comment | added | David Z Mod | @keyvan that's true, but also note what it says on the site's About page: "...site for active researchers, academics and students of physics and astronomy." All these people have ready access to peers and educational resources that they can and should consult before coming here. People who are not active researchers, academics, or students are still allowed to participate, of course, but the site isn't designed for them, and we generally don't cater to their particular needs. | |
| Mar 23, 2014 at 1:01 | comment | added | keyvan | Not everyone asking a physics question is a student -- for some, the physics problem is a stepping stone in order to get to another area that is back in their own domain and they simply need help to cross the hurdle. An additional disadvantage of not being a student is the inability to have access to peers, teachers, etc. Unfortunately given these rules it seems stackexchange cannot be of help either. | |
| Feb 16, 2014 at 3:24 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
note about experiment
|
| Nov 14, 2013 at 1:54 | comment | added | Kenshin | I don't believe that providing complete solutions is detrimental to students, and in fact I believe the best way for students to learn the basics of physics is to look at as many complete solutions as possible. I believe this method is far superior than asking the student to attempt to solve the problem by themselves. When a student has seen many problems, I believe they will have no trouble in developing an intuition to solve far more physics problems, and will have much more refined thought process than the students who went off on tangents trying to solve problems using unconventional me | |
| Sep 7, 2013 at 19:25 | history | edited | ManishearthMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 328 characters in body
|
| Dec 27, 2012 at 23:43 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 332 characters in body
|
| Mar 31, 2012 at 10:45 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 132 characters in body
|
| Dec 6, 2011 at 8:42 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 450 characters in body
|
| Oct 25, 2011 at 19:26 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 114 characters in body
|
| Sep 12, 2011 at 0:08 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 127 characters in body
|
| Sep 11, 2011 at 22:16 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
deleted 117 characters in body
|
| Sep 4, 2011 at 1:06 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 158 characters in body
|
| Aug 5, 2011 at 4:32 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 169 characters in body
|
| Jun 23, 2011 at 18:31 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
add examples
|
| Jun 23, 2011 at 18:10 | history | edited | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |
added 4 characters in body
|
| May 24, 2011 at 21:47 | history | made wiki | Post Made Community Wiki by David ZMod | ||
| May 24, 2011 at 21:47 | history | answered | David ZMod | CC BY-SA 3.0 |