answered 2014-06-22 18:08:45 -0600

This post is a wiki. Anyone with karma >75 is welcome to improve it.

updated 2014-06-22 21:25:03 -0600

Mark
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Homework questions are definitely allowed on this site!! In fact, the major purpose of the site is to provide a place to discuss homework and other problems coming from class (like on review sheets) in detail. However, a good question has an informative title, states the problem completely, using mathematical notation, and indicate any progress that the you've already made.

Example HW questions

Not so good

Title: Section 3.1, #42
How do I do problem 42 in section 3.1?

A better question

Title: Finding the extremes of a univariate function
Problem 42 in section 3.1 asks us to find the extremes of the function $f(x)=x^4-2 x^3-5 x^2+12 x-2$. I can compute the derivative easily enough to find $f'(x)=4 x^3-6 x^2-10 x+12$, but I'm having difficulty factoring the resulting cubic. Any advice on that factorization - as well as how to polish the problem off?

Other types of questions

Of course, other questions related to course material are welcome as well - but they must be directly related to our course and be specific, answerable questions. For example, problems out of the text but not directly assigned or from other source, but clearly related to our course, should be just fine. Open ended questions like "What's all this stuff good for, anyway?" are not a particularly good fit.