Summer is a great time to explore cool problems to keep your skills sharp!  Schedule a class today!

G
Topic
First Poster
Last Poster
k a May Highlights and 2025 AoPS Online Class Information
jlacosta   0
May 1, 2025
May is an exciting month! National MATHCOUNTS is the second week of May in Washington D.C. and our Founder, Richard Rusczyk will be presenting a seminar, Preparing Strong Math Students for College and Careers, on May 11th.

Are you interested in working towards MATHCOUNTS and don’t know where to start? We have you covered! If you have taken Prealgebra, then you are ready for MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics. Already aiming for State or National MATHCOUNTS and harder AMC 8 problems? Then our MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Advanced course is for you.

Summer camps are starting next month at the Virtual Campus in math and language arts that are 2 - to 4 - weeks in duration. Spaces are still available - don’t miss your chance to have an enriching summer experience. There are middle and high school competition math camps as well as Math Beasts camps that review key topics coupled with fun explorations covering areas such as graph theory (Math Beasts Camp 6), cryptography (Math Beasts Camp 7-8), and topology (Math Beasts Camp 8-9)!

Be sure to mark your calendars for the following upcoming events:
[list][*]May 9th, 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET, Casework 2: Overwhelming Evidence — A Text Adventure, a game where participants will work together to navigate the map, solve puzzles, and win! All are welcome.
[*]May 19th, 4:30pm PT/7:30pm ET, What's Next After Beast Academy?, designed for students finishing Beast Academy and ready for Prealgebra 1.
[*]May 20th, 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Mathcamp 2025 Qualifying Quiz Part 1 Math Jam, Problems 1 to 4, join the Canada/USA Mathcamp staff for this exciting Math Jam, where they discuss solutions to Problems 1 to 4 of the 2025 Mathcamp Qualifying Quiz!
[*]May 21st, 4:00pm PT/7:00pm ET, Mathcamp 2025 Qualifying Quiz Part 2 Math Jam, Problems 5 and 6, Canada/USA Mathcamp staff will discuss solutions to Problems 5 and 6 of the 2025 Mathcamp Qualifying Quiz![/list]
Our full course list for upcoming classes is below:
All classes run 7:30pm-8:45pm ET/4:30pm - 5:45pm PT unless otherwise noted.

Introductory: Grades 5-10

Prealgebra 1 Self-Paced

Prealgebra 1
Tuesday, May 13 - Aug 26
Thursday, May 29 - Sep 11
Sunday, Jun 15 - Oct 12
Monday, Jun 30 - Oct 20
Wednesday, Jul 16 - Oct 29

Prealgebra 2 Self-Paced

Prealgebra 2
Wednesday, May 7 - Aug 20
Monday, Jun 2 - Sep 22
Sunday, Jun 29 - Oct 26
Friday, Jul 25 - Nov 21

Introduction to Algebra A Self-Paced

Introduction to Algebra A
Sunday, May 11 - Sep 14 (1:00 - 2:30 pm ET/10:00 - 11:30 am PT)
Wednesday, May 14 - Aug 27
Friday, May 30 - Sep 26
Monday, Jun 2 - Sep 22
Sunday, Jun 15 - Oct 12
Thursday, Jun 26 - Oct 9
Tuesday, Jul 15 - Oct 28

Introduction to Counting & Probability Self-Paced

Introduction to Counting & Probability
Thursday, May 15 - Jul 31
Sunday, Jun 1 - Aug 24
Thursday, Jun 12 - Aug 28
Wednesday, Jul 9 - Sep 24
Sunday, Jul 27 - Oct 19

Introduction to Number Theory
Friday, May 9 - Aug 1
Wednesday, May 21 - Aug 6
Monday, Jun 9 - Aug 25
Sunday, Jun 15 - Sep 14
Tuesday, Jul 15 - Sep 30

Introduction to Algebra B Self-Paced

Introduction to Algebra B
Tuesday, May 6 - Aug 19
Wednesday, Jun 4 - Sep 17
Sunday, Jun 22 - Oct 19
Friday, Jul 18 - Nov 14

Introduction to Geometry
Sunday, May 11 - Nov 9
Tuesday, May 20 - Oct 28
Monday, Jun 16 - Dec 8
Friday, Jun 20 - Jan 9
Sunday, Jun 29 - Jan 11
Monday, Jul 14 - Jan 19

Paradoxes and Infinity
Mon, Tue, Wed, & Thurs, Jul 14 - Jul 16 (meets every day of the week!)

Intermediate: Grades 8-12

Intermediate Algebra
Sunday, Jun 1 - Nov 23
Tuesday, Jun 10 - Nov 18
Wednesday, Jun 25 - Dec 10
Sunday, Jul 13 - Jan 18
Thursday, Jul 24 - Jan 22

Intermediate Counting & Probability
Wednesday, May 21 - Sep 17
Sunday, Jun 22 - Nov 2

Intermediate Number Theory
Sunday, Jun 1 - Aug 24
Wednesday, Jun 18 - Sep 3

Precalculus
Friday, May 16 - Oct 24
Sunday, Jun 1 - Nov 9
Monday, Jun 30 - Dec 8

Advanced: Grades 9-12

Olympiad Geometry
Tuesday, Jun 10 - Aug 26

Calculus
Tuesday, May 27 - Nov 11
Wednesday, Jun 25 - Dec 17

Group Theory
Thursday, Jun 12 - Sep 11

Contest Preparation: Grades 6-12

MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Basics
Friday, May 23 - Aug 15
Monday, Jun 2 - Aug 18
Thursday, Jun 12 - Aug 28
Sunday, Jun 22 - Sep 21
Tues & Thurs, Jul 8 - Aug 14 (meets twice a week!)

MATHCOUNTS/AMC 8 Advanced
Sunday, May 11 - Aug 10
Tuesday, May 27 - Aug 12
Wednesday, Jun 11 - Aug 27
Sunday, Jun 22 - Sep 21
Tues & Thurs, Jul 8 - Aug 14 (meets twice a week!)

AMC 10 Problem Series
Friday, May 9 - Aug 1
Sunday, Jun 1 - Aug 24
Thursday, Jun 12 - Aug 28
Tuesday, Jun 17 - Sep 2
Sunday, Jun 22 - Sep 21 (1:00 - 2:30 pm ET/10:00 - 11:30 am PT)
Monday, Jun 23 - Sep 15
Tues & Thurs, Jul 8 - Aug 14 (meets twice a week!)

AMC 10 Final Fives
Sunday, May 11 - Jun 8
Tuesday, May 27 - Jun 17
Monday, Jun 30 - Jul 21

AMC 12 Problem Series
Tuesday, May 27 - Aug 12
Thursday, Jun 12 - Aug 28
Sunday, Jun 22 - Sep 21
Wednesday, Aug 6 - Oct 22

AMC 12 Final Fives
Sunday, May 18 - Jun 15

AIME Problem Series A
Thursday, May 22 - Jul 31

AIME Problem Series B
Sunday, Jun 22 - Sep 21

F=ma Problem Series
Wednesday, Jun 11 - Aug 27

WOOT Programs
Visit the pages linked for full schedule details for each of these programs!


MathWOOT Level 1
MathWOOT Level 2
ChemWOOT
CodeWOOT
PhysicsWOOT

Programming

Introduction to Programming with Python
Thursday, May 22 - Aug 7
Sunday, Jun 15 - Sep 14 (1:00 - 2:30 pm ET/10:00 - 11:30 am PT)
Tuesday, Jun 17 - Sep 2
Monday, Jun 30 - Sep 22

Intermediate Programming with Python
Sunday, Jun 1 - Aug 24
Monday, Jun 30 - Sep 22

USACO Bronze Problem Series
Tuesday, May 13 - Jul 29
Sunday, Jun 22 - Sep 1

Physics

Introduction to Physics
Wednesday, May 21 - Aug 6
Sunday, Jun 15 - Sep 14
Monday, Jun 23 - Sep 15

Physics 1: Mechanics
Thursday, May 22 - Oct 30
Monday, Jun 23 - Dec 15

Relativity
Mon, Tue, Wed & Thurs, Jun 23 - Jun 26 (meets every day of the week!)
0 replies
jlacosta
May 1, 2025
0 replies
k i Adding contests to the Contest Collections
dcouchman   1
N Apr 5, 2023 by v_Enhance
Want to help AoPS remain a valuable Olympiad resource? Help us add contests to AoPS's Contest Collections.

Find instructions and a list of contests to add here: https://artofproblemsolving.com/community/c40244h1064480_contests_to_add
1 reply
dcouchman
Sep 9, 2019
v_Enhance
Apr 5, 2023
k i Zero tolerance
ZetaX   49
N May 4, 2019 by NoDealsHere
Source: Use your common sense! (enough is enough)
Some users don't want to learn, some other simply ignore advises.
But please follow the following guideline:


To make it short: ALWAYS USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IF POSTING!
If you don't have common sense, don't post.


More specifically:

For new threads:


a) Good, meaningful title:
The title has to say what the problem is about in best way possible.
If that title occured already, it's definitely bad. And contest names aren't good either.
That's in fact a requirement for being able to search old problems.

Examples:
Bad titles:
- "Hard"/"Medium"/"Easy" (if you find it so cool how hard/easy it is, tell it in the post and use a title that tells us the problem)
- "Number Theory" (hey guy, guess why this forum's named that way¿ and is it the only such problem on earth¿)
- "Fibonacci" (there are millions of Fibonacci problems out there, all posted and named the same...)
- "Chinese TST 2003" (does this say anything about the problem¿)
Good titles:
- "On divisors of a³+2b³+4c³-6abc"
- "Number of solutions to x²+y²=6z²"
- "Fibonacci numbers are never squares"


b) Use search function:
Before posting a "new" problem spend at least two, better five, minutes to look if this problem was posted before. If it was, don't repost it. If you have anything important to say on topic, post it in one of the older threads.
If the thread is locked cause of this, use search function.

Update (by Amir Hossein). The best way to search for two keywords in AoPS is to input
[code]+"first keyword" +"second keyword"[/code]
so that any post containing both strings "first word" and "second form".


c) Good problem statement:
Some recent really bad post was:
[quote]$lim_{n\to 1}^{+\infty}\frac{1}{n}-lnn$[/quote]
It contains no question and no answer.
If you do this, too, you are on the best way to get your thread deleted. Write everything clearly, define where your variables come from (and define the "natural" numbers if used). Additionally read your post at least twice before submitting. After you sent it, read it again and use the Edit-Button if necessary to correct errors.


For answers to already existing threads:


d) Of any interest and with content:
Don't post things that are more trivial than completely obvious. For example, if the question is to solve $x^{3}+y^{3}=z^{3}$, do not answer with "$x=y=z=0$ is a solution" only. Either you post any kind of proof or at least something unexpected (like "$x=1337, y=481, z=42$ is the smallest solution). Someone that does not see that $x=y=z=0$ is a solution of the above without your post is completely wrong here, this is an IMO-level forum.
Similar, posting "I have solved this problem" but not posting anything else is not welcome; it even looks that you just want to show off what a genius you are.

e) Well written and checked answers:
Like c) for new threads, check your solutions at least twice for mistakes. And after sending, read it again and use the Edit-Button if necessary to correct errors.



To repeat it: ALWAYS USE YOUR COMMON SENSE IF POSTING!


Everything definitely out of range of common sense will be locked or deleted (exept for new users having less than about 42 posts, they are newbies and need/get some time to learn).

The above rules will be applied from next monday (5. march of 2007).
Feel free to discuss on this here.
49 replies
ZetaX
Feb 27, 2007
NoDealsHere
May 4, 2019
NICE INEQUALITY
Kyleray   3
N an hour ago by sqing
Let's $a,b,c>0$. Prove:
$$(\frac{a}{b+c}+\frac{b}{c+a})(\frac{b}{c+a}+\frac{c}{a+b})(\frac{c}{a+b}+\frac{a}{b+c})\geq \frac{(a+b+c)^2}{3(ab+bc+ca)}$$$\text{P/S: No mapple, please :(}$
3 replies
Kyleray
Mar 11, 2021
sqing
an hour ago
Tough inequality
TUAN2k8   4
N an hour ago by cazanova19921
Source: Own
Let $n \ge 2$ be an even integer and let $x_1,x_2,...,x_n$ be real numbers satisfying $x_1^2+x_2^2+...+x_n^2=n$.
Prove that
$\sum_{1 \le i < j \le n} \frac{x_ix_j}{x_i^2+x_j^2+1} \ge \frac{-n}{6}$
4 replies
TUAN2k8
May 28, 2025
cazanova19921
an hour ago
Easy Diophantne
anantmudgal09   20
N an hour ago by Adywastaken
Source: India Practice TST 2017 D1 P2
Find all positive integers $p,q,r,s>1$ such that $$p!+q!+r!=2^s.$$
20 replies
anantmudgal09
Dec 9, 2017
Adywastaken
an hour ago
SOLVE: CDR style problem quick algebra
ryfighter   1
N an hour ago by franklin2013
It takes 3 people 10 minutes to mow 2 lawns. How many minutes will it take for 2 people to mow 10 lawns? Express your answer in hours as a decimal.

$(A)$ $1.25$
$(B)$ $75$
$(C)$ $01.025$
$(D)$ $1.5$
$(E)$ $15.25$
1 reply
ryfighter
Today at 3:19 AM
franklin2013
an hour ago
Converse of a classic orthocenter problem
spartacle   43
N 2 hours ago by ihategeo_1969
Source: USA TSTST 2020 Problem 6
Let $A$, $B$, $C$, $D$ be four points such that no three are collinear and $D$ is not the orthocenter of $ABC$. Let $P$, $Q$, $R$ be the orthocenters of $\triangle BCD$, $\triangle CAD$, $\triangle ABD$, respectively. Suppose that the lines $AP$, $BQ$, $CR$ are pairwise distinct and are concurrent. Show that the four points $A$, $B$, $C$, $D$ lie on a circle.

Andrew Gu
43 replies
1 viewing
spartacle
Dec 14, 2020
ihategeo_1969
2 hours ago
Symmetric points part 2
CyclicISLscelesTrapezoid   22
N 2 hours ago by ihategeo_1969
Source: USA TSTST 2022/6
Let $O$ and $H$ be the circumcenter and orthocenter, respectively, of an acute scalene triangle $ABC$. The perpendicular bisector of $\overline{AH}$ intersects $\overline{AB}$ and $\overline{AC}$ at $X_A$ and $Y_A$ respectively. Let $K_A$ denote the intersection of the circumcircles of triangles $OX_AY_A$ and $BOC$ other than $O$.

Define $K_B$ and $K_C$ analogously by repeating this construction two more times. Prove that $K_A$, $K_B$, $K_C$, and $O$ are concyclic.

Hongzhou Lin
22 replies
CyclicISLscelesTrapezoid
Jun 27, 2022
ihategeo_1969
2 hours ago
Combi counting
Caasi_Gnow   3
N 2 hours ago by franklin2013
Find the number of different ways to arrange seven people around a circular meeting table if A and B must sit together and C and D cannot sit next to each other. (Note: the order for A and B might be A,B or B,A)
3 replies
Caasi_Gnow
Mar 20, 2025
franklin2013
2 hours ago
Periodicity of factorials
Cats_on_a_computer   0
2 hours ago
Source: Thrill and challenge of pre-college mathematics
Let a_k denote the first non zero digit of the decimal representation of k!. Does the sequence a_1, a_2, a_3, … eventually become periodic?
0 replies
Cats_on_a_computer
2 hours ago
0 replies
Geometry question !
kjhgyuio   1
N 2 hours ago by whwlqkd
........
1 reply
kjhgyuio
3 hours ago
whwlqkd
2 hours ago
Cyclic Quad. and Intersections
Thelink_20   11
N 2 hours ago by americancheeseburger4281
Source: My Problem
Let $ABCD$ be a quadrilateral inscribed in a circle $\Gamma$. Let $AC\cap BD=E$, $AB\cap CD=F$, $(AEF)\cap\Gamma=X$, $(BEF)\cap\Gamma=Y$, $(CEF)\cap\Gamma=Z$, $(DEF)\cap\Gamma=W$, $XZ\cap YW=M$, $XY\cap ZW=N$. Prove that $MN$ lies over $EF$.
11 replies
Thelink_20
Oct 29, 2024
americancheeseburger4281
2 hours ago
Serbian selection contest for the IMO 2025 - P6
OgnjenTesic   15
N 2 hours ago by math90
Source: Serbian selection contest for the IMO 2025
For an $n \times n$ table filled with natural numbers, we say it is a divisor table if:
- the numbers in the $i$-th row are exactly all the divisors of some natural number $r_i$,
- the numbers in the $j$-th column are exactly all the divisors of some natural number $c_j$,
- $r_i \ne r_j$ for every $i \ne j$.

A prime number $p$ is given. Determine the smallest natural number $n$, divisible by $p$, such that there exists an $n \times n$ divisor table, or prove that such $n$ does not exist.

Proposed by Pavle Martinović
15 replies
OgnjenTesic
May 22, 2025
math90
2 hours ago
Easy Number Theory
math_comb01   39
N 2 hours ago by Adywastaken
Source: INMO 2024/3
Let $p$ be an odd prime and $a,b,c$ be integers so that the integers $$a^{2023}+b^{2023},\quad b^{2024}+c^{2024},\quad a^{2025}+c^{2025}$$are divisible by $p$.
Prove that $p$ divides each of $a,b,c$.
$\quad$
Proposed by Navilarekallu Tejaswi
39 replies
math_comb01
Jan 21, 2024
Adywastaken
2 hours ago
Painting Beads on Necklace
amuthup   46
N 3 hours ago by quantam13
Source: 2021 ISL C2
Let $n\ge 3$ be a fixed integer. There are $m\ge n+1$ beads on a circular necklace. You wish to paint the beads using $n$ colors, such that among any $n+1$ consecutive beads every color appears at least once. Find the largest value of $m$ for which this task is $\emph{not}$ possible.

Carl Schildkraut, USA
46 replies
amuthup
Jul 12, 2022
quantam13
3 hours ago
Overly wordy problems
ZMB038   11
N Today at 5:48 AM by Yiyj
Hey everyone, here we can post questions with way to many extraneous words, that are actually easy.
Try to solve the one above yours.
I'll start:
Click to reveal hidden text
11 replies
ZMB038
May 28, 2025
Yiyj
Today at 5:48 AM
k Make THOROUGH Explanations (Please Read This)
phiReKaLk6781   4
N Nov 23, 2011 by Mrdavid445
Recently, many responses to threads have little or no explanation, with only an answer provided. These will not contribute to understanding and following the question and defeats the purpose of the math threads.

Here are some suggestions to improve the quality of your responses.

• If you are introducing a topic that would be unfamiliar to the general public of the forum, explain what it is and how it is applied to the specific problem.

• If you are using a non-standard approach to the problem, explain why it is a more efficient approach than the normal methods and algorithms, and elaborate upon why your method works in the particular case.

• If you are dealing with complex mathematical symbols, surround them with dollar signs ($$), and the website will automatically transfer the code to $ \text{\LaTeX}$. Learning $ \text{\LaTeX}$ codes is easy and makes examining a math question a lot easier. For example, one is definitely more likely to be satisfied by $ 120 = - x^5 + 3x^4 + 23x^3 - 27x^2 - 166x$ than 120=-x^5+3x^4+23x^3-27x^2-166x. Note that this is just a simple (polynomial) example, and the more complex notations would call for $ \text{\LaTeX}$ even more, like summation.

• When finished, judge your own solution, imagining if you didn't understand how to solve the problem whether you would have been helped by the solution or not. Although it may be hard to transfer your mind to the state of this hypothetical other person, it is a good skill to have and can really help improve the overall quality of forum posts.

• It is okay to state that you made a guess or carried out a dubious process, or to make a move that carries a mistake, as long as you point it out as a guess or an unsure solution. Mistakes are a defining characteristic of the human species, average thinkers and geniuses alike, so you should not be afraid to announce that you think you might have done something incorrectly in your solution—if you really don't know what the question is talking about though, don't answer it, as you would then be leading the unfortunate question-asker astray into an nonexistent dimension.

• Don't be afraid to use colors and graphics to explain. In fact, many people find that these make the solution much clearer as well as more interesting. External links to informational websites also help, but don't just post that link and call it a day for counting as your explanation; at least append a label describing the content on the other side of the link.

Of course, as with any set of rules, these are just standards and suggestions, and need not be strictly and dogmatically followed. When unsure, common sense is your best friend, and if you must defer beyond that, just follow the rules. Always keep in mind that the person reading your responses and explanations is most likely a high school ninth, tenth, or eleventh grader.

Here is an example of an excellent solution. The only improvement I would make to it is to explain exactly what it is a definition of. Note how the poster of that explanation showed an analogous case of committees to explain the situation that could possibly be confusing to some people, and that he even went above and beyond the standards by leaving a little for the original poster to solve for himself or herself, as well as hiding the solution in case a viewer wanted to try to solve the problem without accidentally looking at the solution. Note that it shows that you don't have to be an adult to be able to write good solutions. If you find a solution you particularly enjoyed or learned significantly from, rate it 5 or 6.

If you have spent the time to read this, thank you very much, and if you have given some thought as to how you compare to such standards, another thanks. As a last note, feel free to point out anything you notice or want to mention or suggest an alteration to the standards listed above. Moreover, questions are always welcome, and it is much better to first clarify something here than to have ruined a few threads because of a grave misunderstanding.
4 replies
phiReKaLk6781
Mar 16, 2010
Mrdavid445
Nov 23, 2011
Make THOROUGH Explanations (Please Read This)
G H J
The post below has been deleted. Click to close.
This post has been deleted. Click here to see post.
phiReKaLk6781
2074 posts
#1 • 43 Y
Y by dantx5, cerberus88, awesomeguy2, gaygaygaygay, nbute, jkyman, yrushi, zmyshatlp, DSL13, sachinpgupte, TsunamiStorm08, Adventure10, and 31 other users
Recently, many responses to threads have little or no explanation, with only an answer provided. These will not contribute to understanding and following the question and defeats the purpose of the math threads.

Here are some suggestions to improve the quality of your responses.

• If you are introducing a topic that would be unfamiliar to the general public of the forum, explain what it is and how it is applied to the specific problem.

• If you are using a non-standard approach to the problem, explain why it is a more efficient approach than the normal methods and algorithms, and elaborate upon why your method works in the particular case.

• If you are dealing with complex mathematical symbols, surround them with dollar signs ($$), and the website will automatically transfer the code to $ \text{\LaTeX}$. Learning $ \text{\LaTeX}$ codes is easy and makes examining a math question a lot easier. For example, one is definitely more likely to be satisfied by $ 120 = - x^5 + 3x^4 + 23x^3 - 27x^2 - 166x$ than 120=-x^5+3x^4+23x^3-27x^2-166x. Note that this is just a simple (polynomial) example, and the more complex notations would call for $ \text{\LaTeX}$ even more, like summation.

• When finished, judge your own solution, imagining if you didn't understand how to solve the problem whether you would have been helped by the solution or not. Although it may be hard to transfer your mind to the state of this hypothetical other person, it is a good skill to have and can really help improve the overall quality of forum posts.

• It is okay to state that you made a guess or carried out a dubious process, or to make a move that carries a mistake, as long as you point it out as a guess or an unsure solution. Mistakes are a defining characteristic of the human species, average thinkers and geniuses alike, so you should not be afraid to announce that you think you might have done something incorrectly in your solution—if you really don't know what the question is talking about though, don't answer it, as you would then be leading the unfortunate question-asker astray into an nonexistent dimension.

• Don't be afraid to use colors and graphics to explain. In fact, many people find that these make the solution much clearer as well as more interesting. External links to informational websites also help, but don't just post that link and call it a day for counting as your explanation; at least append a label describing the content on the other side of the link.

Of course, as with any set of rules, these are just standards and suggestions, and need not be strictly and dogmatically followed. When unsure, common sense is your best friend, and if you must defer beyond that, just follow the rules. Always keep in mind that the person reading your responses and explanations is most likely a high school ninth, tenth, or eleventh grader.

Here is an example of an excellent solution. The only improvement I would make to it is to explain exactly what it is a definition of. Note how the poster of that explanation showed an analogous case of committees to explain the situation that could possibly be confusing to some people, and that he even went above and beyond the standards by leaving a little for the original poster to solve for himself or herself, as well as hiding the solution in case a viewer wanted to try to solve the problem without accidentally looking at the solution. Note that it shows that you don't have to be an adult to be able to write good solutions. If you find a solution you particularly enjoyed or learned significantly from, rate it 5 or 6.

If you have spent the time to read this, thank you very much, and if you have given some thought as to how you compare to such standards, another thanks. As a last note, feel free to point out anything you notice or want to mention or suggest an alteration to the standards listed above. Moreover, questions are always welcome, and it is much better to first clarify something here than to have ruined a few threads because of a grave misunderstanding.
This post has been edited 3 times. Last edited by phiReKaLk6781, Mar 28, 2010, 10:55 PM
Z Y
The post below has been deleted. Click to close.
This post has been deleted. Click here to see post.
bobbym
752 posts
#2 • 13 Y
Y by cerberus88, awesomeguy2, gaygaygaygay, BubblegumandPi, zmyshatlp, Adventure10, and 7 other users
Hi PhireKaLk6781;

That is a really great post, I gave it a 10. Here are some things I have discovered which are unique to this forum and influence my style.

1) If you wait to go through a checklist like that or even my own much shorter one, 51 people will have posted ahead of you and your answer is not necessary. This happens a lot on my daytime.

2) If I know a piece of math ( what are the odds of that? ) that is not likely known by 1.453 million other posters, then I use it. That teaches the poster there are many ways to solve every problem and a little more math will shorten a solution greatly. Remember, the goal is get your mind opened to new ideas, not just acquiring homework solutions.

3) The OP should learn how to back engineer an answer, even a cryptic one. For instance a person is cheating by looking over his friends paper during a test. Say he/she only gets to see the first 3 letters of the answer. You have to be able to figure the rest out. (That was a joke! )

4) Posters need to improve there style with latex of course. And to say please and thank you. Common courtesy is not deleted because we are on a forum and don't have to worry about physical retaliation.

5) We are all in the same boat, some answers are using other methods than the poster who apparently is just interested in having his homework done for him, would like. This is so that we too can learn by doing. The forum is for everyone.
Z Y
The post below has been deleted. Click to close.
This post has been deleted. Click here to see post.
phiReKaLk6781
2074 posts
#3 • 12 Y
Y by cerberus88, awesomeguy2, gaygaygaygay, zmyshatlp, Adventure10, and 7 other users
Thanks for the contribution, bobbym. I also agree that people need to put some thought into their own analysis, but it should be assumed that people posted here after they've thought amply and is truly stuck, and current posts are much closer to the minimal extreme than the one you explained. Good point, though.

A few extra points on $ \text{\LaTeX}$: box your answer, it makes what the final answer is clear and looks pretty. The code for this is \boxed or \fbox for non-fractional answers. Also, when $ \text{\LaTeX}$ ends up crowded, you can clear it up by adding empty lines between lines of $ \text{\LaTeX}$.
Z Y
The post below has been deleted. Click to close.
This post has been deleted. Click here to see post.
rcordwell
89 posts
#4 • 9 Y
Y by cerberus88, awesomeguy2, gaygaygaygay, zmyshatlp, Adventure10, and 4 other users
Wolfram Alpha is a wonderful tool, and can be used to find an answer for many of the problems you'll in see in school, up through differential equations. Computer algebra systems (Maple, Mathematica) have been around for a long time, but Wolfram Alpha is a different beast entirely. It's free, it's online, and it knows what you mean when you ask it to "find the gcd of 1040 and 320".

This means that writing good explanations is more important than ever. A computer can't show you the intuition behind a problem, and it's the intuition that's important if you want to get better at math. That said, there are plenty of writeups where including a computerized solution is desirable, so please feel free to do so!
Z Y
The post below has been deleted. Click to close.
This post has been deleted. Click here to see post.
Mrdavid445
5123 posts
#5 • 9 Y
Y by cerberus88, awesomeguy2, zmyshatlp, Adventure10, Mango247, and 4 other users
There has recently been a lot of users merely posting an answer and not explaining how they got it.

"The answer is $\boxed{1337}$" does not help the person asking the question. Anyone can look the answer up in the answer key, but people want to know how you arrived at your answer.

"Through my solution, $\boxed{1337}$ is the answer" doesn't help either.

Also, please hide your solution for Contest Problems. People may want to do the problem, and I find it extremely annoying trying to do a problem with the solution right in front of me.
Z Y
G
H
=
a