# Tag Info

22

Given that I'm probably the leading exponent of closing questions on the basis of insufficient prior research I'm relieved to see I'm not implicated in the examples Chris cites (I did VTC one of them, but because I thought it was unclear rather than lazy). I'm not sure what I can add here that isn't already covered by my previous statement on the subject. ...

20

Sound pitch of glass with water This is not a homework or homework-like question, it's not a calculation request, it's completely conceptual, but the question doesn't show any prior research, or any evidence that the poster has made an effort to figure out the answer themselves. You might think that's perfectly fine. On the other hand, if you believe the ...

18

Mutual $E$ force due to charged coaxial rings I think this is probably homework because it's really just asking how to solve a problem. However you could argue it's conceptual in the sense that it's asking about how to approach this sort of problem for arbitrary geometries. A belated footnote: the simplest approach I've seen to doing this requires the use ...

18

Three dimensional isotropic harmonic oscilator Hamiltonian This is an advanced question (on quantum mechanics) that shows detailed effort. It could be argued that it doesn't actually ask anything beyond "what am I doing wrong?", though. Vote up if you think this should be on topic under the new policy, or vote down if you think it should be off topic under ...

12

Extension in a vertically hanging rod This is a homework question, and the OP admits it's a homework question. However the OP isn't asking us to do the problem, they are asking about the physics behind it making more of a homework inspired question. I would leave this one open. Vote up if you think this should be on topic under the new policy, or vote ...

11

Thanks to dmckee for digging up an old deleted question asked by me a long time ago here. Here it is: Suppose a plane of mass $M$ flies at constant velocity at a height $h$ above the ground. If $h$ is much larger than the size of the aircraft, what is the pressure increase on the ground as a function of the position relative to the point directly ...

9

The current situation and its problems (yes, again) In light of all the discussion and analysis we've done since then, when we choose to vote to close questions as homework-like, what reasons do we actually have in mind? Taking your data, and indeed the continual disagreement in most past meta posts about this topic, at face value it appears that there is ...

7

To offer another perspective, perhaps the issue is simply that we, the community, are not clear enough about our expectations. Whilst forethought and clarity are integral to the education and formation of those of us who are doctors, masters or graduates of physics, it is not necessarily so for the enthusiasts and students in our community. However, we all ...

7

I'm going to go off the script David proposed and emphasize one point: This programme needs to consider very seriously the role of the homework tag. This is, as I wrote here, one of the main lessons that came out of this previous attempt to reformulate the policy. More specifically, it is an inconsistent position to say "homework is banned" and still keep ...

7

Determining how to redefine this policy is a tricky subject. Not only because of the varying and contradictory opinions about it, but also because we seem to be tackling the issue from the middle. Admittedly, in football, that is a sound strategy, but in politics (and that's just what this is), it's often best to start from the beginning. Before we get ...

6

Back in the day we used to close this type of questions with a custom close reason: I am voting to close this question as off-topic because it shows insufficient prior research. with a link to this meta post. I just checked the stats and it seems we haven't been using this anymore, I wonder what happened. But anyway, that is always a valid close reason (if ...

5

Relationship between velocity and position due to constant jerk proof check This question shows a detailed derivation, and then asks us to check whether the derivation is correct. It also asks whether there is a simpler derivation. Vote up if you think this should be on topic under the new policy, or vote down if you think it should be off topic under the ...

4

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/253477/specific-function-is-a-linear-combination-of-energy-eigenstates My lecturer made a statement: In the infinite square well potential $x\psi_n(x)$ (where $\psi_n$ is just the spatial part of an energy eigenstate) can be expressed as a linear combination of the energy eigenstates of the infinite square ...

4

The familiarity of an OP with the terminology should not enter into anything. The broader objective of the site is not so much to provide answers to questions of individuals, but to provide answers that are useful beyond the OP to viewers at large. As a result, I make no accommodation for poor use of terminology in questions (or answers): since the ...

3

I agree completely with ACuriousMind's answer, so I won't go into that, but simply expand on what main reasons I see things being closed as (or should be closed as). These are of course just my opinions, and I would welcome explanation of disagreement in the comments. Close Reasons Not Enough Effort I've seen much discussion about this one; however, I think ...

3

Falling hailstones on windshield The question is well laid out, the set-piece components are clearly labelled, and the OP has clearly put in the work and isolated a specific question. However, it is still essentially a check-my-work question. Vote up if you think this should be on topic under the new policy, or vote down if you think it should be off topic ...

3

At this time, there is not a flag for insufficient research effort. And I would say you shouldn't flag for that. If you have the ability to vote to close with a custom reason, you can do that, and downvoting is also a good idea, but it's not the sort of thing we're really comfortable handling with unilateral moderator action. We have been talking about ...

3

What does everyone mean by “insufficient research effort”? I can't speak for everyone but only, of course, for myself. Generally, I choose to Vote To Close For Insufficient Research Effort (VTCFIRE) in the case that (1) the answer can easily be found (typically, on this very site), (2) it's a bald question without something like "I'm puzzled by the other ...

2

This question might be directed at me. I cast a lot of down-votes because of insufficient research effort, including both the thermometer calibration and the electric field energy questions which you quote. So I dispute John Rennie's claim to be the leading exponent in this field! I am not offended. Debate is good. My reason for down-voting is not ...

2

Entropy of unattended music streaming and other useless processes (because you can never have too much data) Vote up if you think this should be on topic under the new policy, or vote down if you think it should be off topic under the new policy.

2

Quick question on rotational motion The question is based on a set piece and it starts off with it. The poster has some conceptual questions which are relatively well laid out. On the other hand, the question is rather straightforward and there's not that much to explain other than going through the procedure with the OP. Vote up if you think this should ...

2

Net acceleration of an object if too many forces are acting on it This questions has a concept in it but it is so simplistic/nonsensical that it should be closed. I don't find a descriptive "close" category for it. It's very clear what the question is, but the question is so simple as to be stupid. The OP obviously hasn't thought about the topic ...

1

Here is my take on the matter. First, let's think about what Stack Exchange Q&A sites are good for and what they are not good for: A Q&A site needs Questions, which can be answered in a concise fashion. There may be several good answers, but if a question needs books to be answered or many answers covering different topics (and thus many pages of ...

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