5.4 Should I answer an obvious homework question? (sci.chem)
Description
This article is from the Chemistry FAQ, by Bruce Hamilton B.Hamilton@irl.cri.nz with numerous contributions by others.
5.4 Should I answer an obvious homework question? (sci.chem)
In general, definitely not. Teachers will set homework assignments that
do not require sci.chem responses. The poster was too lazy to consult the
resources that their teacher would have ensured were available locally, and
also too lazy to disguise their homework question. Continual answering of
obvious homework problems will merely attract more homework questions to the
group from other lazy students.
If the question does have some interesting aspects that you wish to comment
on, then the best course of action is to respond by answering a similar
question. If you change the question sufficiently, the poster will have to
understand the concepts you are offering, and then apply them to the
original question. This approach does require a little more effort and
imagination on your part, but it also encourages any interested students,
whilst also discouraging any lazy students.
In some homework questions, a small hint may be useful to point the student
towards a reference, or the correct answer, especially if their post
indicates that they are completely off-course. Hints are also a very useful
technique when you can not decide if posts are slightly modified homework
questions.
Some questions about chemicals in the home and workplace may arise from
curious adults who don't have a formal chemical education, and such questions
are certainly appropriate for sci.chem - so please ensure that the question
is actually a homework question before igniting your flamethrower.
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