Suggestion: Creating Personal Alcumus Problems

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23531 posts

#1 h Sep 23, 2019, 5:58 PM • 20 Y

Y by BobRascal, riben, Kendo_Larrs, foxtrot3, smartninja2000, hdrcure, vsamc, Eth007, prestonh, coolmath_2018, 2019wildcat, Happy88, PhysicsMonster_01, GCA, Vasu090, AnimalLover111, H-23, v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

This suggestion doesn't mean that users can just add problems to the topics like Algebra and C+P for everyone. Instead, it means that users can add personal problems that they came up with for themselves only. For example, if you missed a Algebra question from school, you can add it to your personal Alcumus for reveiw.

It would be cool if you could create new Subjects for yourself too. For example, you could create a "AIME" subject and just enter AIME problems in to practice.

Note: you can even create non-math problems like spelling and vocabulary and physics etc...

This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by franzliszt, Sep 23, 2019, 7:04 PM

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BotBuilder

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BotBuilder

#2 h Sep 23, 2019, 6:00 PM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

oooooh, cool!

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Tiancheng

283 posts

Tiancheng

#3 h Sep 23, 2019, 6:09 PM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

Good idea!

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OliverA

2588 posts

OliverA

#4 h Sep 23, 2019, 6:10 PM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

Well, would you get points off of them?

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franzliszt

23531 posts

franzliszt

#5 h Sep 23, 2019, 6:11 PM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

OliverA wrote:

Well, would you get points off of them?

No they are just for your personal practice and not the general public. Maybe you can get personal points.

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riben

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riben

#6 h Sep 23, 2019, 6:40 PM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

I would love this! Will this suggestion allow users to input non-math problems, like physics or chemistry? :maybe:

Also, these problems only show up for the user, not for anyone else, correct?

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BotBuilder

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BotBuilder

#7 h Sep 23, 2019, 6:43 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

riben wrote:

I would love this! Will this suggestion allow users to input non-math problems, like physics or chemistry? :maybe:

Also, these problems only show up for the user, not for anyone else, correct?

yes, they only show up for the user... That would be weird if it showed up for everyone...

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BotBuilder

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BotBuilder

#8 h Sep 23, 2019, 6:44 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

I think it is a great idea!

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franzliszt

23531 posts

franzliszt

#9 h Sep 23, 2019, 7:00 PM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

riben wrote:

I would love this! Will this suggestion allow users to input non-math problems, like physics or chemistry? :maybe:

Also, these problems only show up for the user, not for anyone else, correct?

Yes! Even maybe spelling problems! Or vocabulary problems!
And yes. They are completely personal!

This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by franzliszt, Sep 23, 2019, 7:01 PM

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BotBuilder

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BotBuilder

#10 h Sep 23, 2019, 8:08 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

franzliszt wrote:

riben wrote:

I would love this! Will this suggestion allow users to input non-math problems, like physics or chemistry? :maybe:

Also, these problems only show up for the user, not for anyone else, correct?

Yes! Even maybe spelling problems! Or vocabulary problems!
And yes. They are completely personal!

oh, i didn't think of that!

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TKINCAID

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TKINCAID

#11 h Sep 24, 2019, 1:42 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

riben wrote:

Even maybe spelling problems! Or vocabulary problems!
And yes. They are completely personal!

Genius!

This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by TKINCAID, Sep 24, 2019, 1:42 AM

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BerendQ

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BerendQ

#12 h Sep 24, 2019, 10:25 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

using it for your french class...

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JustKeepRunning

2958 posts

JustKeepRunning

#13 h Sep 24, 2019, 10:40 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

franzliszt wrote:

This suggestion doesn't mean that users can just add problems to the topics like Algebra and C+P for everyone. Instead, it means that users can add personal problems that they came up with for themselves only. For example, if you missed a Algebra question from school, you can add it to your personal Alcumus for reveiw.

It would be cool if you could create new Subjects for yourself too. For example, you could create a "AIME" subject and just enter AIME problems in to practice.

Note: you can even create non-math problems like spelling and vocabulary and physics etc...

Great idea. Alcumus can have a topic for "incorrect", too.

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LJCoder619

1581 posts

LJCoder619

#14 h Sep 24, 2019, 11:38 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

oh cooool

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hdrcure

1503 posts

hdrcure

#15 h Sep 24, 2019, 11:54 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

Yeah I love that idea! That would be so awesome- like your personal math trainer! But sadly that would be hard to make. It would be way cool if they could! :first:

But for only AoPS related topics, right? U could choose a subcategory and make problems within that??? Oh and would you input the answer and then come back for it when you forgot the answer?

This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by hdrcure, Sep 24, 2019, 11:57 PM

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mathboykl2018

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mathboykl2018

#16 h Sep 25, 2019, 12:04 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

That's a GREAT idea. :w00t:

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montana_mathlete

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montana_mathlete

#17 h Sep 25, 2019, 12:06 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

While I think that this is a great idea, this is likely the response this thread will get.

LauraZed wrote:

Thanks for the feedback! I'll add it to the wishlist, but will give the usual caveat that I can't guarantee that the devs would get to this at any point in the near future.

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vsamc

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vsamc

#18 h Sep 25, 2019, 12:08 AM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

Yeah true, but actually, phenomenal idea.

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TKINCAID

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TKINCAID

#19 h Sep 25, 2019, 12:11 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

like, amazing!!!

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Madelyn

178 posts

Madelyn

#20 h Sep 25, 2019, 12:13 AM • 3 Y

Y by MrMustache, v4913, Adventure10

Something like this already exists, it's called Quizlet.
This is an interesting idea though.

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LJCoder619

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LJCoder619

#21 h Sep 25, 2019, 12:14 AM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

Madelyn wrote:

Something like this already exists, it's called Quizlet.
This is an interesting idea though.

oh yeah

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SamuraiA

4882 posts

SamuraiA

#25 h Sep 25, 2019, 1:22 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

Good idea!
I could use this to add Pokémon themed word problems!

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sub_math

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sub_math

#27 h Sep 25, 2019, 2:21 AM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

wait this is pretty high iq

i want this

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OliverA

2588 posts

OliverA

#29 h Sep 25, 2019, 3:42 AM • 4 Y

Y by Happy88, MrMustache, v4913, Adventure10

If I were in charge of AoPS, I wouldn't include this, because it takes a ton of effort to produce one quality problem. Sure, the AoPS staff borrows problems, but it also make many of its own. With that amazing amount of work and effort put into the already available topics, having you own problems would make the effort less appreciated. A great part of Alcumus is that they are selectively chosen as good, high-quality problems. As post 20 (Madelyn) noted, use Quizlet for this this.

Without any offense made to anybody, allowing you to put your own personal problems in will detract from Alcumus, because it is hard to find good quality problems. The AoPS staff are paid to do this, and have done so excellently, and I've only Reported a few of the problems for things, many mostly minor things.

There are other problems as well, such as solutions. Would solutions be included? Would you learn from those questions without solutions? What if the question from you school had no solution? Would you write your own? Would you learn form your own solution?

In short, I do not agree with this idea.

This post has been edited 3 times. Last edited by OliverA, Sep 25, 2019, 3:53 AM

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GCA

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GCA

#30 h Sep 25, 2019, 3:50 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

@OliverA - I think everyone is saying that you could make a whole new topic for your personal problems. It would be cool, but there are a few issues with this:

1) To make it possible for Alcumus to grade your response, you have to put the answer into the system, partially destroying the point of it

2) Alcumus has a whole database of correct possible responses, and it would be complicated for users to figure out all of these

3) There are other websites like Quizlets that could serve the same purpose and it would save AoPS developers a lot of work.

Edit: so overall it sound super cool, but when we look more closely, it may be less exciting than we first expected

This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by GCA, Sep 25, 2019, 3:51 AM

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riben

2176 posts

riben

#31 h Sep 25, 2019, 3:52 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

GCA wrote:

3) There are other websites like Quizlets that could serve the same purpose and it would save AoPS developers a lot of work.

Correct me if I am wrong, but websites like Quizlet don't have AI. Quizlet just spams flashcards for you. If you get one wrong, it just gives you the card again. This is different from Alcumus, which has an intelligent AI system. Websites like Quizlet have a low AI compared to Alcumus.

This is literary the only reason I support this suggestion: Alcumus's awesome AI. Unless the Site Admins make the AI code open-source, which I highly doubt, I would love to see this near-impossible suggestion come true.

This post has been edited 3 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 3:57 AM

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OliverA

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OliverA

#32 h Sep 25, 2019, 3:57 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

Well, for these problems to work in Alcumus, others would have to do them so that the rating gain/loss is set for other users. Correct me if I'm wrong, but rating is really what makes Alcumus work, telling it which problems to give you and such. If there are no others to figure out what the rating gain/loss would be for each problem, then there couldn't be rating for those problems, and then how much different would it be from Quizlet?

Continuing the idea also adds the solution stuff, see my above post, and also there could be lack of problems. If you have like three problems in you Customized Alcumus, then, well...

Edit: I've decided to leave this to the AoPS Staff, because, well, I can only say my POV. Also please note that I'm writing these posts on the fly, so my brain might not be working correctly.

This post has been edited 4 times. Last edited by OliverA, Sep 25, 2019, 4:04 AM

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riben

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riben

#33 h Sep 25, 2019, 4:01 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

Quizlet does not have a rating system. It is "binary:" right or wrong. The rating system is much more superior than wrong or right. Rating systems could still apply to problems as long users don't gain points from them. The goal of Alcumus is to learn by doing problems, not by gaining points, so I don't think users will care about the points. (I don't care about points.) Also, no one can remember all the answers to the problems they submit. If I submit problems, I'll come back to them weeks later and actually learn from them. If users are just answering questions like "1+1," then it's their fault. They aren't taking advantage of this opportunity to learn given to them by AoPS.

If there's a lack of problems, it's not the customized Alcumus' fault. It's the user. I would probably input 50 to 60 problems into it. And that's just for one subject...

The only problems about this suggestion is time and money. It would take a lot of time, and Alcumus is free. Many websites, like Quizlet, charge money for their "pro" services. Alcumus would probably be still free if this suggestion is considered (again, I doubt this suggestion will even be accepted), which makes it even more superior than Quizlet. Quizlet does have fancy features, such as pictures and pronunciations, but I almost never use them for the stuff I study for (physics, chemistry, history, etc.).

Edit: Good idea. Mine is not working properly too I think...

This post has been edited 8 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 4:08 AM

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GCA

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GCA

#35 h Sep 25, 2019, 4:08 AM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

Point conceded, Alcumus does have a better AI and a better tracking system for questions you have a hard time answering. This would definitely be cool addition to Alcumus, but in the midterm or if this never happens, we aren't left without options. Don't get me wrong, I hope this is implemented, but I do want to be able to point out the nuances of this idea. I just saw riben's 6th edit and I'm responding to it: I use quizlet without paying anything, and it work fine, I couldn't ask for more, you do get a lot of adds in the margins though...

Edit: and yes, the aops staff are going to make a better decision than we can

This post has been edited 1 time. Last edited by GCA, Sep 25, 2019, 4:08 AM

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riben

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riben

#36 h Sep 25, 2019, 4:11 AM • 4 Y

Y by coolmath_2018, Carpemath, v4913, Adventure10

I paid for Quizlet pro, and I regretted it. I never needed those fancy features. All I need was a fancy AI, and Alcumus has it. Again, another advantage that Alcumus has. I have seen no website that offers an AI with the same level as Alcumus' or even greater.

If the Site Admins do deny this, we, the AoPS community, can try to create our own by mimicking the Alcumus AI (as long we don't publish it outside of AoPS I think). Alcumus follows a pattern. If we could identify it and use it to our advantage, our dreams will come true. Of course, observing a highly intelligent learning system will be difficult and time consuming. Not including the time it will take to make it...

~~Also, custom problems might mean custom quests! Now, that will make all our custom quests idea in the Alcumus forum be a reality!~~ Wait. I'm getting ahead of myself. Maybe later...

This post has been edited 2 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 4:14 AM

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levans

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levans

#37 h Sep 25, 2019, 5:32 AM • 5 Y

Y by montana_mathlete, GCA, OliverA, v4913, Adventure10

It should be noted that the Alcumus AI is heavily influenced by how others answered the same problem. It basically would not work at all for questions that are only given to one person.

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TKINCAID

929 posts

TKINCAID

#38 h Sep 25, 2019, 1:51 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

levans wrote:

It should be noted that the Alcumus AI is heavily influenced by how others answered the same problem. It basically would not work at all for questions that are only given to one person.

Fair point.

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riben

2176 posts

riben

#39 h Sep 25, 2019, 2:58 PM • 2 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10

levans wrote:

It should be noted that the Alcumus AI is heavily influenced by how others answered the same problem. It basically would not work at all for questions that are only given to one person.

Never knew that, so I guess a revision of this suggestion is necessary...

How about creating custom problems group (a group of problems)? These group of problems will be public, and other users can access them. If they want to do these problems, they can add the problem group to their own Alcumus. For example, let's say you and your friends are learning the multinomial theorem. You create a group of 50 to 60 multinomial problems. Your friends add your problem group to their Alcumus, and now Alcumus' AI can work properly since there are other people doing the problems. Will this work?

Edit: I just realized this could solve another problem. People say this will be useless since the person who creates the problems has to input their own solutions and answers. If they share these problems to other people, a deal can work out. For example, you want to learn multinomials, but your friend wants to learn geometric probability. You can write geometric probability problems for your friend, while your friend writes multinomials problems for you. Then, you and your friend share each other's group of problems. That way people can actually learn and there are multiple people! Therefore, Alcumus' AI should work. Of course, there needs to be more than 2 people. But finding people to do problems shouldn't be a problem unless these problems are pointless ones, like "What is 1+1?"

This post has been edited 4 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 3:06 PM

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GCA

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GCA

#40 h Sep 25, 2019, 3:14 PM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

If we were allowed to make topics/groups of problems public accross all AoPS users, it could turn messy because inevitably, they'd want to edit them to be more clear, more answere options etc. etc. Perhaps make a similar system to Quizlet where the original creator can choose certain people who can edit the "set" and reports would go to them? Private sets may also have a place if this were implimented

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riben

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riben

#41 h Sep 25, 2019, 3:17 PM • 3 Y

Y by v4913, Adventure10, Mango247

GCA wrote:

If we were allowed to make topics/groups of problems public accross all AoPS users, it could turn messy because inevitably, they'd want to edit them to be more clear, more answere options etc. etc. Perhaps make a similar system to Quizlet where the original creator can choose certain people who can edit the "set" and reports would go to them? Private sets may also have a place if this were implimented

Yes. There could be admins/mods of group, where admins can add/remove problems and mods could only edit problems.

I'm not sure about private. If people aren't interested in a problem group, they can just ignore it. Private groups might be unnecessary.

I also agree on reporting groups. People might add inappropriate questions, so groups should have the option to be reported. If not, people could just email the Sheriff.

This post has been edited 3 times. Last edited by riben, Sep 25, 2019, 3:20 PM

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LauraZed

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LauraZed

#42 h Sep 25, 2019, 4:31 PM • 9 Y

Y by GCA, OliverA, riben, moab33, montana_mathlete, Kendo_Larrs, mathboykl2018, v4913, Adventure10

Thanks for sharing the idea! However, we're not currently planning to add a functionality like this to Alcumus.

(If you want a slightly better than standard flashcard-like system where you can make your own decks, I liked Memrise in college – it would adapt how often it gave you particular cards based on whether you got them right or wrong previously. Since college is quite a few years ago for me, can't vouch for how Memrise works nowadays, but y'all could check it out.)

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