# Embarrassing migration

This question has been migrated to Mathematics SE (MSE) a few minutes ago. I find it embarrassing since the question is clearly ill-posed both from the mathematical point of view (how the relation between $$x, v$$, and $$a$$ follows from the definition of velocity and acceleration?) and from the physical point of view (dimensional inconsistency). I voted for closing because the question needs clarification. However, my closing vote was the second. Before me, it was selected migration to MSE.

I do not think the reputation of our community in MSE will increase after such a migration. Even worse, I do not see a trace of my closing vote being different from the migration solution.

I would suggest that people in a hurry for closing questions at least would spend a few minutes to understand the content of the question instead of sticking to the title only.

• "I do not think the reputation of our community in MSE will increase after such a migration." Who cares?
– hft
Nov 23, 2022 at 20:40
• @hft Ok, you do not care about it. I care about the reputation of this site. I think that whatever our personal opinion about that, in any case, sloppy practice in closing questions should not be encouraged. Nov 23, 2022 at 21:32
• I think the question was appropriate to migrate. OP uses the symbols $x$, $v$, and $a$ as $x$, $\dot x$, and $\ddot x$, respectively, but I don't see why this means it should not be migrated to math. There's not much "physical content," as far as I can tell, and the differential equation posed by OP ($x^2 + (\dot x)^2= (\ddot x)^2$) is not relevant to any physics I know off the top of my head. So, what is the big deal?
– hft
Nov 23, 2022 at 21:51
• Also, as you point out, if $x$ is supposed to be position and "dot" ($\dot{}$) is supposed to be differentiation wrt time, then the equation is dimensionally incorrect.
– hft
Nov 23, 2022 at 21:53
• @hft Therefore, following your argument, also a post asking why 2+3=10 should be migrated. I'm afraid I have to disagree. If the question is wrong or unclear, it should not be migrated. Anyway, I would like to see other opinions. If the consensus is that migration was a reasonable choice, I'll take note in the future. Nov 23, 2022 at 22:19
• A question asking why 2+3=10 should be closed and deleted.
– hft
Nov 24, 2022 at 3:23
• @hft I agree. That's the point. I do not see any difference between the question I mentioned and why 2+3=10. Nov 24, 2022 at 8:02
• Once again, I would ask you to consider that alternative viewpoints may have valid reasons instead of dismissing the people who voted differently from you from the start as "in a hurry" and not understanding the question. Starting an argument by assuming bad faith on the part of people who don't already agree with you isn't exactly conducive to constructive discussion.
– ACuriousMind Mod
Nov 24, 2022 at 11:37
• @ACuriousMind I tried to consider alternative viewpoints. If I wrote here is because I could not find valid reasons. Moreover, saying that people read the question quickly before voting is not equivalent to assuming bad faith. Nov 24, 2022 at 13:57
• Interestingly, I think the migrated question not only makes perfect mathematical sense, but is actually somewhat interesting. Nov 25, 2022 at 12:17
• @KyleKanos Provided the question is interpreted as "given the usual definition of velocity and acceleration," the equation $x^2+v^2=a^2$ is solvable or not? (but the formulation of the question leaves the possibility of interpreting the equation as a part of the premise) I would agree that the question could be interesting. But in that case, i) it should have been closed for not being clear enough, and ii) I think it would be more interesting for the Physics community than the mathematical one. Therefore, I remain with the impression that migration was a hasty decision. Nov 25, 2022 at 13:48
• The question is neither unclear nor strictly physics only, it's pretty much "what is the solution to this DE, if it exists". And, generically speaking, such questions largely devoid of the physics concerns are more suited to math sites than physics sites, so it's really not at all a big deal that you're making it out to be. Nov 25, 2022 at 14:41
• I mean physically it doesn't make sense since the units don't work. As a mathematical question it could be interesting though. It's definitely not the worst thing that could be transferred. Nov 25, 2022 at 14:59
• Also, I'm amazed at the fixation of units on the problem. Has no one thought of nondimensionalized equations (which, again, points more towards math than physics)? Or choosing units systems s.t. time and length have the same unit? Or even answering it by inserting applicable coefficients that handle the units? Nov 25, 2022 at 17:12