Sun, 04 Nov 2018 23:22:03 -0800 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/ Lussumo Vanilla 1.1.9 & Feed Publisher http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13156#Comment_13156 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13156#Comment_13156 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:27:53 -0800 Douglas Zare
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 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13152#Comment_13152 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:20:38 -0800 an_mo_user 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 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13149#Comment_13149 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 04:04:41 -0800 Gerry Myerson http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13148#Comment_13148 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13148#Comment_13148 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 03:37:33 -0800 Andrey Rekalo http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13146#Comment_13146 http://mathoverflow.tqft.net/discussion/947/ballsandbins-type-problem-question-closed/?Focus=13146#Comment_13146 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 02:02:11 -0800 Douglas Zare