Statement Clarification for Dummies

This is a problem I often face. Sometimes I don't even understand what the problem statements say. It becomes frustrating when I see that many people have solved the problem already while I'm still struggling to understand what to prove or what to find.

I associate this inability of mine with my unfamiliarity with many topics. However, I think I need to learn the art of understanding problems. Therefore, I seek guidance from fellow Brilliants. And, thus comes the real question!

Should we make a thread where people can post links to the problems they find ambiguous so that others can help?

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Easy Math Editor

This discussion board is a place to discuss our Daily Challenges and the math and science related to those challenges. Explanations are more than just a solution — they should explain the steps and thinking strategies that you used to obtain the solution. Comments should further the discussion of math and science.

When posting on Brilliant:

Use the emojis to react to an explanation, whether you're congratulating a job well done , or just really confused .
Ask specific questions about the challenge or the steps in somebody's explanation. Well-posed questions can add a lot to the discussion, but posting "I don't understand!" doesn't help anyone.
Try to contribute something new to the discussion, whether it is an extension, generalization or other idea related to the challenge.
Stay on topic — we're all here to learn more about math and science, not to hear about your favorite get-rich-quick scheme or current world events.

Markdown	Appears as
`italics` or `_italics_`	italics
`bold` or `__bold__`	bold
- bulleted - list	bulleted list
1. numbered 2. list	numbered list
Note: you must add a full line of space before and after lists for them to show up correctly
paragraph 1 paragraph 2	paragraph 1 paragraph 2
`[example link](https://brilliant.org)`	example link
`> This is a quote`	This is a quote
# I indented these lines # 4 spaces, and now they show # up as a code block. print "hello world"	# I indented these lines # 4 spaces, and now they show # up as a code block. print "hello world"

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `$` ... `$` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$

Comments

There is a report feature that you can request for more clarification.

Christopher Boo - 3 years, 11 months ago

Sometimes I don't think reporting is an option. For example, take a look at this problem. I don't understand what this expression means. However, there are 29 solvers of the problem at this moment. So, I assumed the problem setter used some convention that I don't know of. The problem also doesn't have any link to a relevant wiki. I even tried to google this format to no avail. Is it really a good idea to report a problem which is not wrong (assumption, of course) in any way?

Atomsky Jahid - 3 years, 11 months ago

The author seems to assume that readers are familiar with that expression. You can post a note like this to ask for clarification. Brilliant users will answer your query. In addition, if the moderators think that such clarification is necessary, they will add it to the problem statement, so other users can benefit from it as well.

For your problem, you want to minimise a function $f(x)$ for $x\in R$ , and the function is $f(x) = \max_{0\leq y \leq 1} |y^2-xy|$ . For example, when $x=0$ , $f(x) = \max_{0\leq y \leq 1} |y^2-xy| = 1$ .

Christopher Boo - 3 years, 11 months ago

@Christopher Boo – Thanks for your clarification! I have solved it afterward.

Atomsky Jahid - 3 years, 11 months ago

The question reads

"For 0<= y<= 1, find the maximum value of the absolute value of (y^2-xy) for constant x. Now, this maximum value should be a function with respect to x. Find the minimum value of this function for real x"

Pi Han Goh - 3 years, 11 months ago

@Pi Han Goh – Thanks! I have solved the problem after understanding it. :)

Atomsky Jahid - 3 years, 11 months ago

Math	Appears as
Remember to wrap math in `\(` ... `\)` or `\[` ... `\]` to ensure proper formatting.
`2 \times 3`	$2 \times 3$
`2^{34}`	$2^{34}$
`a_{i-1}`	$a_{i-1}$
`\frac{2}{3}`	$\frac{2}{3}$
`\sqrt{2}`	$\sqrt{2}$
`\sum_{i=1}^3`	$\sum_{i=1}^3$
`\sin \theta`	$\sin \theta$
`\boxed{123}`	$\boxed{123}$