tea.mathoverflow.net - Discussion Feed (What to do when answers change the question?) Sun, 04 Nov 2018 23:16:52 -0800 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.1.9 & Feed Publisher Noah Snyder comments on "What to do when answers change the question?" (11949) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11949#Comment_11949 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11949#Comment_11949 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 10:19:32 -0800 Noah Snyder WillieWong comments on "What to do when answers change the question?" (11938) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11938#Comment_11938 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11938#Comment_11938 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:13:17 -0800 WillieWong +1 Harry.

]]> Alex Bartel comments on "What to do when answers change the question?" (11935) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11935#Comment_11935 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11935#Comment_11935 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:52:30 -0800 Alex Bartel I would say you did just the right thing. The alternative, namely to tell the answerer who perfectly answered the question "thank you, but your answer doesn't answer the question I didn't ask" can be fairly annoying.

]]> Harry Gindi comments on "What to do when answers change the question?" (11934) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11934#Comment_11934 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11934#Comment_11934 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:44:18 -0800 Harry Gindi Accept and ask a new question.

Unless the counterexample is posted as a comment.

]]> Ben Webster comments on "What to do when answers change the question?" (11933) http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11933#Comment_11933 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/844/what-to-do-when-answers-change-the-question/?Focus=11933#Comment_11933 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:43:49 -0800 Ben Webster It's a sad fact of life on MathOverflow that sometimes you get an answer (often a good one) that makes you realize you asked the wrong question. We don't seem to have a really established policy on what to do in this situation, and probably we can't really expect to come up with one. Still, I'd feel better if I had a better read on the community's opinion on this matter.

As a jumping off point, let me point out something I just did: * I asked a question about whether a particular statement was true. * A very nice counter-example was posted. * I realized that the counter-example was precisely based around a piece of wiggle room that doesn't exist in my situation, and thus was left with a dilemma. The counter-example perfectly answered the question I had asked, but not the one I should have. * I opted to ask a second question which was almost exactly the same, but had a new hypothesis making the old answer inapplicable. (And, of course, provided links between the questions).

So here's where I ask your collective opinion...did I do right?

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