2018-11-04T23:22:04-08:00 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/ Lussumo Vanilla & Feed Publisher http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13156#Comment_13156 2011-02-08T08:27:53-08:00 2018-11-04T23:22:04-08:00 Douglas Zare http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/account/130/

Thanks for reopening the question. I agree that the question was far from perfect. However, many questions which are not perfect are simply answered without being voted up, or voted down, rather than ...

I agree that the question was far from perfect. However, many questions which are not perfect are simply answered without being voted up, or voted down, rather than closed.]]> http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13152#Comment_13152 2011-02-08T05:20:38-08:00 2018-11-04T23:22:04-08:00 an_mo_user http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/account/491/

Not being in a position to vote on closure/opening of questions, I merely wanted to formulate my 'problem' with this form of question (not only this specific one but also similar ones, say, in ...

which is related to but slightly different from what Gerry Myerson said.

The way the question is asked it is essentially impossible to tell what background the person asking the question has, and why s/he is asking the question.
Howver, this information is relevant to know what type of answer is useful.

Is this essentially a reference request of somebody familiar with combinatorics?
Is it a general interest question by a mathematician, or a non-mathematician, say, more or less a puzzle?

Both are fine reasons to ask a question. But, neither would it make sense to give explanations of basics of the field to somebody already familiar with them, nor would it make much sense that somebody invests time to consider the problem and then possibly to suggest a sophisticated approach the reaction to which of the originally asker (explictly or implictly) might be: 'oh then, nevermind, I thought there has to be a nice/simple fomula'.

Thus, in particular, for questions that have an 'elementary flavour' it seems reasonable to me to ask for some kind of context/motivation.

ps: My research is (partly) concerned with questions that have an 'elementary flavour'; so I certainly have nothing against 'elementary flavour'.]]> http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13149#Comment_13149 2011-02-08T04:04:41-08:00 2018-11-04T23:22:04-08:00 Gerry Myerson http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/account/370/

Douglas, there is another problem with that question, which problem I've just finished putting into a comment. But I'm not voting to re-close (at least, not yet).

http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13148#Comment_13148 2011-02-08T03:37:33-08:00 2018-11-04T23:22:04-08:00 Andrey Rekalo http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/account/267/

I'm sorry I was a bit too hasty casting a closing vote. Voted to reopen.

http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13146#Comment_13146 2011-02-08T02:02:11-08:00 2018-11-04T23:22:04-08:00 Douglas Zare http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/account/130/

What exactly is the problem with http://mathoverflow.net/questions/54709/balls-and-bins-type-problem-closed other than that people could confuse it with other problems? I have tried entering lines ...