23
votes
Folks, we need to talk about the surface-area-of-a-chicken question
My take on it: No, this question is nowhere near on-topic. It is simply not about physics.
I agree it's a fun question, and that this can make it attractive to some people. But we don't set the site ...
- 135k
22
votes
Accepted
Which of several disagreeing answers to accept?
It isn't compulsory to accept an answer. If you feel that neither answer is acceptable then do not accept either of them.
If you haven't received an answer that satisfies you then placing a bounty is ...
- 363k
21
votes
Accepted
How can "torus shape" planet be "non-mainstream" physics?
Demanding that questions only deal with situations that unequivocally can occur in the real world rules out objects on infinite planes, point masses, Einsteinian trains, Maxwell's demon, supersymmetry,...
- 33.4k
20
votes
Folks, we need to talk about the surface-area-of-a-chicken question
Suppose the question had asked “How do I find the approximate volume of an asteroid ?”. I doubt there would be any serious arguments for closing that question. If we are happy to accept a volume/...
- 60.4k
18
votes
Are questions about the identification of physical phenomena on-topic?
I agree and would vote to reopen if the closing vote weren't a mod. Reasons:
One does not know before asking the question what the answer is going to look like. Once you've seen the answer then one ...
- 22.1k
17
votes
Little tolerance with mathematical-physics questions
Generally speaking, mathematical physics questions are on-topic and more than welcome.
Note that advanced questions naturally tend to have fewer views, upvotes, and potential answerers. But don't get ...
QmechanicMod
- 213k
15
votes
My question got closed saying that it was opinion based
While I do not speak on behalf of the other close voters, the facts are clear:
If the velocity is constant, the acceleration is zero.
If a quantity is constant, it does not depend on time (in this ...
- 12.9k
15
votes
My question was downvoted after it was closed, can I ask the community to delete it?
The question failed the reopen review with no vote to reopen. From the timing it is evident that least two of the three reviewers saw your edited version and did not think it merits reopening. Note ...
ACuriousMindMod
- 129k
15
votes
Accepted
Why is the question on wifi being a force being downvoted so much?
When someone asks "Should X be considered a Y?" I expect them to exhibit some form of understanding of the definition of Y, and some form of understanding of what X is. While one may not ...
ACuriousMindMod
- 129k
14
votes
Accepted
Was this plagiarism flag correctly handled?
The fault here is mine. I didn't take enough care in checking the match between the post and the proposed source.
I can only offer by apologies and delete the accusatory comment on the post.
14
votes
Allowance of Computational Physics questions
I think this question should be on-topic. To the extent that it is a software-recommendations question, it's precisely the kind of recommendation question we want to encourage: it is well-researched, ...
- 135k
14
votes
Why was my question about the Devil's problem deemed a homework question?
Your question does not ask a conceptual question about physics, it simply asks users to solve the exercise you call "the Devil's problem".
That you ask us to solve the exercise not by saying ...
ACuriousMindMod
- 129k
14
votes
Closing a 10-year old answered question as off-topic
Closing questions is not an expression of disdain. It's merely saying that a question like this is not suitable for the site as it is today, in this instance because it is not inside the scope of ...
ACuriousMindMod
- 129k
14
votes
Careless mistakes in formulas shouldn't be treated the same as non-mainstream physics
I did not vote to close but I do not see a relation between the two comments pointing at the maths mistake and the closing vote. That is, I don't think the typo is what led them to close the question ...
- 25.3k
14
votes
Accepted
What to do with a horrible question haunting my question record?
Just continue to participate in the site in a constructive way, and don't worry about one deleted question.
If your early participation includes lots of downvoted/closed/deleted questions, you may ...
robMod
- 94.2k
13
votes
Accepted
Asking for an upvote to my *correct* answer to a 5-year-old question
Honestly, asking people to upvote your answer is considered to be in bad taste. So the blunt answer is no, we won't upvote your answer because you asked us to.
What you can do, however, is post a ...
- 77.3k
13
votes
Why was my question about the Devil's problem deemed a homework question?
First, note that not all homework related questions are off topic here. However...
I wasn't interested in learning or understanding any physics methods; my interest was to find out whether 13 is ...
- 58.5k
13
votes
Too much closing (for missing "concepts")?
Why not take a deep breath here.
You have been member for all of three days, whereas the site has been around for 11+ years, yet you are comfortable in declaring that it "shouldn't how the things ...
- 47.8k
12
votes
Why was my question closed as too broad?
You are asking us to do a literature review on the subject of carbon dioxide and global warming. A student starting a PhD on the subject would spend weeks doing a review like this. Your question was ...
- 363k
12
votes
Accepted
Is it encouraged to write an answer to your own question if it is just a summary of the comments?
This behaviour isn't really frowned upon, so it should be fine. This answer by David Z is basically on that exact topic, and gives good advice how to do it properly.
Given the comments are over a ...
- 15.4k
12
votes
Why was this circuits question closed?
The title of the question is "Find the Thevenin's Voltage," and the first line is "Please solve this." In its current form, it is a straightforward homework question.
If there is a ...
ChrisMod
- 17.3k
12
votes
Accepted
Question marked as duplicate older than supposed duplicate
I've reversed the closure and closed the newer question as a duplicate of the older.
Note that, in general, age alone is not the only criterion for how we close questions as duplicates. Particularly ...
ACuriousMindMod
- 129k
12
votes
How should we handle "multidisciplinary" questions with subparts that are appropriate for different SE networks?
I think the fact that even the meta question here talks about different subquestions is simply an indication the question is not focused enough for the SE model: Yes, to answer the question you are ...
ACuriousMindMod
- 129k
11
votes
Can anyone show me any mathematical equation in duplicate?
The most-upvoted answer to that question is a great example of discussing mathematics as opposed to doing mathematics. The meat of the answer is
[T]he real problem is not so much ...
robMod
- 94.2k
11
votes
Answering own question: "work" of the question in own answer
The answer is pretty much irrelevant as to whether the question should be closed, particularly for homework-like questions: that determination should be done based on the question text itself, and the ...
- 135k
11
votes
A downvoted question vs. a very well-received duplicate version of the same question!
There is always a random element to voting.
Votes not only refer to the raw content of a question but also its presentation: How easy it is to read (due to formatting) and understand, how well it ...
ACuriousMindMod
- 129k
11
votes
Folks, we need to talk about the surface-area-of-a-chicken question
The issue I take with the question is its nonsensical context ("building a chicken army to conquer the world"). If the question were just about "How do I measure the surface area of an ...
- 21.4k
11
votes
Closing a 10-year old answered question as off-topic
Since my motives are being questioned, let me add this.
I voted to close this question because I didn't think it was about physics as defined in the scope of this site. That's all.
I don't see that ...
- 136k
11
votes
How is this question about a black hole passing through the solar system non-mainstream?
I for one think the question is unclear or too broad.
“Inhabitable” is not really defined, and actually hard to define. One can imagine the surface of the Earth is cold but that doesn’t make it ...
- 47.8k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible