text:
# Marginal Revenue Explained, With Formula and Example

## What Is Marginal Revenue?

Marginal revenue is the increase in revenue that results from the sale of one additional unit of output. While marginal revenue can remain constant over a certain level of output, it follows from the law of diminishing returns and will eventually slow down as the output level increases. In economic theory, perfectly competitive firms continue producing output until marginal revenue equals marginal cost.

### Key Takeaways

• Marginal revenue refers to the incremental change in earnings resulting from the sale of one additional unit.
• Analyzing marginal revenue helps a company identify the revenue generated from each additional unit sold.
• Marginal revenue is often shown graphically as a downward sloping line that represents how a company usually has to decrease its prices to drive additional sales.
• A company that is looking to maximize its profits will produce up to the point where marginal cost equals marginal revenue.
• When marginal revenue falls below marginal cost, firms typically do a cost-benefit analysis and halt production as it may cost more to sell a unit than what the company will receive as revenue.
1:27

## Understanding Marginal Revenue

Marginal revenue is a financial and economic calculation that determines how much revenue a company earns in revenue for each additional unit sold. As the price of a good is often tied to market supply and demand, a company's marginal revenue often varies based on how many units it has already sold.

Marginal revenue is useful in several contexts. Companies use historical marginal revenue data to analyze customer demand for products in the market. They also use the information to set the most effective and efficient prices. Last, companies rely on marginal revenue to better understand forecasts; this information is then used to determine future production schedules such as material requirements planning.

## How to Calculate Marginal Revenue

A company calculates marginal revenue by dividing the change in total revenue by the change in total output quantity. Ideally, the change in measurements captures the change from a single quantity to the next available quantity (i.e. the difference between the 100th and 101st unit sold). However, the formula above can still be used to capture the average marginal revenue across a series of units (i.e. the difference between the 100th and 115th unit sold).

The formula for marginal revenue can be expressed as:

\begin{aligned}\text{Marginal Revenue}&=\frac{\text{Change in Revenue}}{\text{Change in Quantity}}\\\\[-9pt]MR&=\frac{\Delta TR}{\Delta Q}\end{aligned}

## Marginal Revenue vs. Marginal Cost

Any benefits gained from adding the additional unit of activity are marginal benefits. One such benefit occurs when marginal revenue exceeds marginal cost, resulting in a profit from new items sold. If the sale of one additional unit yields marginal revenue of $100 and marginal expenses of$80, the company will receive marginal profit of $20 for the additional item sold. A company experiences the best results when production and sales continue until marginal revenue equals marginal cost. Beyond that point, the cost of producing an additional unit will exceed the revenue generated. If the company sells one additional unit for$100 but incurs marginal revenue of $105, the company will lose$5 in the process of selling that extra unit.

When marginal revenue falls below marginal cost, firms typically adopt the cost-benefit principle and halt production, as no further benefits are gathered from additional production.

A perfectly competitive firm can sell as many units as it wants at the market price, whereas the monopolist can do so only if it cuts prices for its current and subsequent units.

## Competitive Firms vs. Monopolies

Marginal revenue for competitive firms is typically constant. This is because the market dictates the optimal price level and companies do not have much—if any—discretion over the price. As a result, perfectly competitive firms maximize profits when marginal costs equal market price and marginal revenue. Marginal revenue works differently for monopolies. For a monopolist, the marginal benefit of selling an additional unit is less than the market price.

A firm's average revenue is its total revenue earned divided by the total units. A competitive firm’s marginal revenue always equals its average revenue and price. This is because the price remains constant over varying levels of output. In a monopoly, because the price changes as the quantity sold changes, marginal revenue diminishes with each additional unit and will always be equal to or less than average revenue.

## What Is the Marginal Revenue Formula?

Marginal revenue is calculated as the change in revenue divided by the change in quantity for any two given levels of sales. The closer the two levels of sales, the more meaningful and precise the marginal revenue calculation will be.

For example, imagine a company will make an additional $1,000 if it increases sales from 200 to 220 goods. The average marginal revenue received for each of these additional 20 units is$50/each. Should the company receive an additional $800 for increasing sales from 220 to 240, the average marginal revenue for these 20 units is$40/each.

## Is Marginal Revenue the Same As Profit?

Marginal revenue only considers income received and does not reflect any marginal expenses required to manufacture or sell the goods. Therefore, marginal revenue is different from profit.

## What Is Marginal Revenue and Marginal Cost?

Marginal revenue is the income gained by selling one additional unit, while marginal cost is the expense incurred for selling that one unit. Each measure the incremental change in dollars between varying levels of sales to determine at what level a company is most efficiently producing and selling goods.

## Why Is Marginal Revenue Important?

Marginal revenue is important because it is a crucial indicator regarding the most idea level of activity a company should undertake. It is mathematically most ideal for a company to produce goods until marginal revenue is equal to marginal expenses; selling goods beyond this level usually means more expenses are incurred than revenue received for each good.

## What Does It Mean If Marginal Revenue Is Negative?

If marginal revenue is negative, this means total revenue falls as additional units are sold. This may be the result of a company needing to cut prices to sell those additional units. In this case, strictly looking at just marginal revenue, it is more ideal for a company to have sold less goods but for a higher average price as more revenue would have been received.

## The Bottom Line

Regardless of its sector, industry, or product line, companies must be aware of how increasing sales quantities impacts marginal revenue. If the company must decrease prices to generate additional sales, marginal revenue will slowly decrease to the point where it is no longer profitable to sell additional goods.


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auctex-devel
[Top][All Lists]

## [AUCTeX-devel] Re: [AUCTeX] Inverse Search with Evince & DBUS

 From: Antoine Levitt Subject: [AUCTeX-devel] Re: [AUCTeX] Inverse Search with Evince & DBUS Date: Sun, 03 Apr 2011 17:46:00 +0200 User-agent: Gnus/5.13 (Gnus v5.13) Emacs/24.0.50 (gnu/linux)

03/04/11 16:25, Ralf Angeli
> * Antoine Levitt (2011-03-31) writes:
>
>> Forward search happens automatically upon calling the viewer, e.g. by
>> typing C-c C-v (TeX-view). This will open the viewer or bring it to
>> front and display the output page corresponding to the position of point
>> in the source file. AUCTeX will automatically pass the necessary command
>> line options to the viewer for this to happen.
>>
>> But that doesn't work using evince and (setq TeX-source-correlate-method
>> 'synctex) (it always gets to the first page, and calls evince with -p 1
>> for some reason). Any pointers?
>
> Please provide a sample file and a recipe for reproducing the issue.

Ok, so my problem is that I was testing by calling the viewer from after
\end{document}. Calling it from inside the text works just fine. Sorry

Forward sync with evince still isn't as good as it could be. See for

format: plain


text:
#### Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Options

Hello John and hello to everyone

I read Nad had opened many browser windows to visualize the time data for surface temperatures. So I wrote a slicer that slices the volumetric grid data (4D) and exported into CDF but it became too large. Then I exported into a compressed video of the flipbook style animation of the Slicer:

Slicer: dxdt

You can clearly see Daniel Mahler's patterns without any moving averages any other filtering. Looks like a standing-pattern!!!

Slicer: dydt

Clearly you can see waving horizontally.

John those derivative filters are actual continuous derivative along x,y and t, once the grid data is splined along those axes. If you like these we could program the server to acquire all these volumetric data and turn them into youtube video streams (or actual downloads) for easier viewing.

Dara

• Options
1.

Comment Source:Apology about the advertisement junk, very embarrassing, if this is used by the group here we will buy a private clean account
• Options
2.

It's looking nice!

Comment Source:It's looking nice!
• Options
3.

Thanx Jacob!

Machine Learning algorithms should run on these sorts of filters as opposed to the raw data, clearly the patterns are discernible once proper filters are applied and analyzed.

Mathematically we could design our own filters and apply to the volumetric data and visualize in large quantities to detect patterns to model.

DAra

Comment Source:Thanx Jacob! Machine Learning algorithms should run on these sorts of filters as opposed to the raw data, clearly the patterns are discernible once proper filters are applied and analyzed. Mathematically we could design our own filters and apply to the volumetric data and visualize in large quantities to detect patterns to model. DAra


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# codeforces 339D 简单的线段树操作

Xenia the beginner programmer has a sequence a, consisting of 2n non-negative integers: a1, a2, …, a2n. Xenia is currently studying bit operations. To better understand how they work, Xenia decided to calculate some value v for a.

Namely, it takes several iterations to calculate value v. At the first iteration, Xenia writes a new sequence a1 or a2, a3 or a4, …, a2n - 1 or a2n, consisting of 2n - 1 elements. In other words, she writes down the bit-wise OR of adjacent elements of sequence a. At the second iteration, Xenia writes the bitwise exclusive OR of adjacent elements of the sequence obtained after the first iteration. At the third iteration Xenia writes the bitwise OR of the adjacent elements of the sequence obtained after the second iteration. And so on; the operations of bitwise exclusive OR and bitwise OR alternate. In the end, she obtains a sequence consisting of one element, and that element is v.

Let’s consider an example. Suppose that sequence a = (1, 2, 3, 4). Then let’s write down all the transformations (1, 2, 3, 4)  →  (1 or 2 = 3, 3 or 4 = 7)  →  (3 xor 7 = 4). The result is v = 4.

You are given Xenia’s initial sequence. But to calculate value v for a given sequence would be too easy, so you are given additional m queries. Each query is a pair of integers p, b. Query p, b means that you need to perform the assignment ap = b. After each query, you need to print the new value v for the new sequence a.

Input
The first line contains two integers n and m (1 ≤ n ≤ 17, 1 ≤ m ≤ 105). The next line contains 2n integers a1, a2, …, a2n (0 ≤ ai < 230). Each of the next m lines contains queries. The i-th line contains integers pi, bi (1 ≤ pi ≤ 2n, 0 ≤ bi < 230) — the i-th query.

Output
Print m integers — the i-th integer denotes value v for sequence a after the i-th query.

Example
Input
2 4
1 6 3 5
1 4
3 4
1 2
1 2
Output
1
3
3
3
Note

#include <bits/stdc++.h>
using namespace std;
const int MAXN = (1<<17)+10;
int a[MAXN];
int ff[MAXN<<2];
int sum[MAXN<<2];
void pb(int rt)
{
if(ff[rt]%2==0)
{
sum[rt]=sum[rt<<1|1]|sum[rt<<1];
}
else sum[rt]=sum[rt<<1|1]^sum[rt<<1];
}

void build(int l,int r,int rt)
{
sum[rt]=0;
ff[rt<<1]=ff[rt<<1|1]=0;
if(l==r)
{
sum[rt]=a[l];
ff[rt]=-1;
return ;
}
int mid=(l+r)>>1;
build(l,mid,rt<<1);
build(mid+1,r,rt<<1|1);
ff[rt]=ff[rt<<1]+1;
pb(rt);
}

void update(int l,int r,int p,int d,int rt)
{
if(l==r)
{
sum[rt]=d;
return ;
}
int mid=(l+r)>>1;
if(p<=mid) update(l,mid,p,d,rt<<1);
if(p>mid) update(mid+1,r,p,d,rt<<1|1);
pb(rt);
}

int main()
{
int n,m;
scanf("%d%d",&n,&m);
n=(1<<n);
for(int i=1;i<=n;i++)
scanf("%d",&a[i]);
ff[1]=1;
build(1,n,1);
for(int i=1;i<=m;i++)
{
int p,d;
scanf("%d%d",&p,&d);
update(1,n,p,d,1);
printf("%d\n",sum[1] );
}
}


text:
Questions & Answers
Question
Answers

# The dissociation constant for aniline, acetic acid, and water at are $3.83 \times {10^{ - 10}},1.75 \times 1{O^{ - 5}},$and $1.008 \times {10^{ - 14}}$ respectively. What is the degree of hydrolysis of aniline acetate in a deci normal solution and pH?$A.\;\;\;\;\;h = 54.95\% {\text{ }};{\text{ }}pH = 6.4683 \\ B.\;\;\;\;\;h = 45.95\% ;{\text{ }}pH = 4.6683 \\ C.\;\;\;\;\;h = 54.955\% ;{\text{ }}pH = 4.6683 \\ D.\;\;\;\;\;none{\text{ }}of{\text{ }}these \\$

Answer
Verified
129k+ views
Hint:
Degree of hydrolysis is the fraction (or percentage) of total salt which is hydrolysed at equilibrium whereas dissociation constant (ka) is the ratio of dissociated ions (products) to original acid (reactants).
Formula used:
$i)\,\,\,{K_h} = \dfrac{{{k_w}}}{{{k_a} \times {k_b}}}\; \\ ii)\;\;h = \dfrac{{\sqrt {{k_h}} }}{{1 + \sqrt {{k_h}} }} \\ iii)\,\,pH = \dfrac{1}{2}(p{K_{w\;\;}} - p{K_{a\;\;}} - p{K_{b\;\;}}) \\$

Complete step by step answer:
The expression for hydrolysis constant ${K_h} = \dfrac{{1 \times {{10}^{ - 14}}}}{{1.75 \times {{10}^{ - 5\;\;\;}} \times 3.83 \times {{10}^{ - 10}}}}$ (from formula i)
= 1.49
The expression for the degree of hydrolysis is ,$\;h = \dfrac{{\sqrt {{k_h}} }}{{1 + \sqrt {{k_h}} }}$
Therefore, $h = \dfrac{{\sqrt 1 .49}}{{1 + \sqrt 1 .49}}$
= 0.5495
Hence, percentage of hydrolysis $= {\text{ }}100X{\text{ }}0.5459$
$= {\text{ }}54.95\%$
Further, $pH = \dfrac{1}{2}(p{K_{w\;\;}} - p{K_{a\;\;}} - p{K_{b\;\;}})$
$= \dfrac{1}{2}\log \left[ {1.008 \times {{10}^{ - 14\;}}} \right] - \log \left[ {1.75 \times {{10}^{ - 5\;}}} \right] - \log \left[ {3.83 \times {{10}^{ - 10\;}}} \right]$
$= 4.6683$

Hence, option c is correct.

Note:

If ${K_{h\;\;}} = {h^2}\;$ is assumed (assuming $1 - h \approx 1$), the value of h comes greater than 1 which is not possible and thus 1-h should not be neglected. (from${K_{h\;\;\;\; = \;\;\;}}\dfrac{{{h^2}}}{{1 - h}}$ , which is another method )


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# Arduino code question

Joined Dec 13, 2010
8
Hey, I'm new to Arduino and was wondering, what is the equivalent code to delay()? Like if I didn't use any Arduino libraries then what would the code look like.

I tried

Rich (BB code):
int i;
for (i = 10; i>=0; i--);
in void loop() but that doesn't work. I think I'm just doing something really stupid...

Thanks

#### hgmjr

Joined Jan 28, 2005
9,027
What is the clue that your "for loop" is not working?

The code looks proper to me. Of course with an initial value of 10 the delay loop is going to be very short indeed.

hgmjr

Joined Dec 13, 2010
8
Ok. Maybe it's something different in my sketch. Let me clarify my question. My goal for the whole sketch is to make a version of the Arduino example "blink":

Rich (BB code):
 void setup(){
pinMode(13, OUTPUT);     //makes pin 13 an output
}

void loop(){
digitalWrite(13, HIGH);   // sets led to high(on)
delay(9999);              // waits for x milliseconds
digitalWrite(13, LOW);    // sets led to low(off)
delay(9999);              // wats for x milliseconds
}
without using any Arduino libraries. Here is what I have so far:

Rich (BB code):
void setup(){
DDRB = B00100000;
}

void loop(){

PORTB = B00100000;
int i;
for (i = 10; i>=0; i--);
PORTB = B00000000;
for (i = 10; i>=0; i--);

}
What happens is that when I send it to my board, the light (on pin 13) appears to be dim. It doesn't blink or anything. I've tried different values for 'i' too but it doesn't help. It is't the board because I've tried the example that includes the library and it works so it must be something I'm doing wrong either by messing up my for loop or by messing up with writing to the registers.

#### srikanthsamaga

Joined Jul 1, 2008
13
The LED is blinking very fast, so it appears to be dim. You need to give a very large value for i

#### hgmjr

Joined Jan 28, 2005
9,027
Declare the type for i to be "UNSIGNED LONG". That way you can do as srikanthsamaga has recommended and use much larger values of i in the "for loop".

You probably have declared i of type "CHAR". That only gives you the maximum value of 255.

hgmjr

Joined Dec 13, 2010
8
Thanks everyone for helping. I figured it out. I was waaaay off on my code :\. I will post my working code here for future reference

Rich (BB code):
//This is a version of the Arduino example "Blink" which comes
//with the Arduino IDE. This version doesn't use any Arduino
//libraries.

//Pointers. We are using mDDRB and mPORTB because DDRB and PORTB is
//already defined in the Arduino IDE. So, if we REALLY want to not
//use any of the Arduino libraries, we will use different names.
uint8_t * mDDRB = (uint8_t *) 0x24;
uint8_t * mPORTB = (uint8_t *) 0x25;

void setup(){
//Sets bit 5 to output.
*mDDRB |= 0x20;
}

void loop(){
//Making a volatile unsigned int for time. This can be a long if you
//want to increase the time.
volatile unsigned int i;

//Sets bit 5 to high. The LED should now be on.
*mPORTB ^= 0x20;

//Our delay time
i=50000;
//Our delay() call
do(i--);
while(i!=0);

//Sets bit 5 to LOW. The LED should be off now.
*mPORTB ^= 0x00;

i=50000;
//delay()
do(i--);
while(i!=0);

}


text:
# Given plaintext and ciphertext of the same length, how could one generate potential symmetric keys if encryption algorithm is unknown?

This question is about both encryption and about how and if one could transform data from one given form to another given form and back.

I am given plaintext and ciphertext, both of which are the same length. I need to generate a list of potential symmetric keys that can be used to transform the plaintext into the ciphertext and back via different encryption techniques. The techniques don't have to be complicated or in any way actually secure, they just have to exactly transform the given data using a key.

My problem is that I'm not sure how to go about restructuring encryption algorithms (or any functions for the most part) to give the key given the plaintext and ciphertext. Currently the only function I've found that will transform the data exactly has been XOR:

plaintext = key XOR ciphertext
ciphertext = key XOR plaintext
==>
key = plaintext XOR ciphertext

Are there other techniques that work, and if there are, how would one restructure a given encryption technique to give you the key?


text:
# Calculating EVs needed to raise a stat in Pokémon

As a result of working on upgrades for this Pokémon Effort Value Calculator, math has been a pretty big part of my life for the past few months, as I’ve been rearranging the games’ formulas for stat and damage calculation to make my own that fit my needs.

One such formula was the EVs needed one, which gives you the amount of EVs you need to invest to raise a stat by n points. Everyone knows that at Level 100, you get 1 stat point for every 4 EV points you invest; but what happens when you’re not at Level 100, or when you factor in stat modifiers like Nature, or item and ability boosts?

## The stat formula

A good starting point for this would be the stat formulas below — they determine a Pokémon’s stat at any given time. The formula for determining the HP stat is slightly different from the other stats.

$\mathrm{Stat}=⌊\left(⌊\frac{\mathrm{\left(2 × Base + IV +⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋\right) × Level}}{\mathrm{100}}⌋+5\right)×\mathrm{Nature}⌋$ $\mathrm{HP}=⌊\frac{\mathrm{\left(2 × Base + IV +⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋\right) × Level}}{\mathrm{100}}⌋+\mathrm{Level}+\mathrm{10}$

As an aside, it’s interesting to note that the HP stat formula can be simplified into this:

$\mathrm{HP}=⌊\frac{\mathrm{\left(2 × Base + IV +⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋\mathrm{+ 100}\right) × Level}}{\mathrm{100}}⌋\overline{)+\mathrm{Level}}+\mathrm{10}$

This reorganisation makes the formula harder to read, but can actually allow your code to be more concise, because this makes it possible to combine both stat formulas:

$\mathrm{Stat}=⌊\left(⌊\frac{\mathrm{\left(2 × Base + IV +⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋\mathrm{+ A}\right) × Level}}{\mathrm{100}}⌋\mathrm{+ B}\right)×\mathrm{Nature}⌋$ $\mathit{where A = 100, B = 10 for HP stat;}$ $\mathit{and A = 0, B = 5 for all other stats}$

## Pulling out the EV portion

The math that we were doing above actually have nothing to do with calculating needed EVs to raise a stat — it was just some interesting trivia. Let’s get to what you came here for.

First, let’s reorganise the fractional part of the stat formulas, so it becomes clear how the Base, IVs and EVs affect the stat:

$\frac{\mathrm{\left(2 × Base + IV +⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋\right) × Level}}{\mathrm{100}}=\mathrm{\left(2 × Base + IV +⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋\right) ×}\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}$ $=\left(2×\mathrm{Base}×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right)+\left(\mathrm{IV}×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right)+\left(⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right)$

Since we are most concerned about the EVs, let’s examine that portion first and add in the rest of the formula as we go along:

$Stat=⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}$

We have to reorganise the formula so that EV alone ends up on one side.

$Stat÷\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}=⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋$ $Stat×\frac{\mathrm{100}}{\mathrm{Level}}=⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋$

We need to break the floor operation to isolate EV on the right-hand side, which is tricky. Let’s ignore the floor operation for a moment:

$\mathrm{Stat}×\frac{\mathrm{100}}{\mathrm{Level}}×4=\mathrm{EV}$

The floor operation basically makes it so that any remainder of the EV value after being divided by 4 is discarded. This means that, to move the floor operation to the other side, we have to round the result up to the nearest multiple of 4:

$⌈\left(\mathrm{Stat}×\frac{\mathrm{100}}{\mathrm{Level}}×4\right)÷4⌉×4=\mathrm{EV}$

Cleaning up our formula and making it more presentable:

$\mathrm{EVs needed}=⌈\left(\frac{\mathrm{Stat × 400}}{\mathrm{Level}}\right)÷4⌉×4$

## Factoring in IV contributions

If you’re a competitive Pokémon player, you might be aware of this little quirk when it comes to EV-ing Level 50 Pokémon (all Pokémon have their Levels set to 50 in a competitive match). If a stat has 31 IVs, it takes 4 EVs to raise the stat by 1 point, then 8 EVs for every subusequent point.

IV stands for Individual Values. You can find out more about what they are in this Bulbapedia article.

This quirk exists because IVs affect how many EVs you need to raise a stat, as we see when we reorganise the stat formula above.

$\mathrm{IV stat contribution}=\mathrm{IV}×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}$

At Level 50, with 31 IVs, you will get the following stat contribution:

$\mathrm{IV stat contribution}=\mathrm{31}×\frac{\mathrm{50}}{\mathrm{100}}=\mathrm{15.5}$

If you refer to the stat formula again, you’ll see that the stat total is not rounded down until the base stat, IVs and EVs are totalled. That means that the decimal portion of the IV reduces the amount of EVs you’ll normally need to raise the stat.

$\mathrm{IV and EV stat contribution}=\frac{\mathrm{\left( IV +⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋\right) × Level}}{\mathrm{100}}$

Let’s rewrite this so that we can see their stat contributions more clearly:

$\mathrm{IV and EV stat contribution}=\mathrm{\left( IV +⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋\right)}×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}$

At Level 50, with 31 IVs and (for example) 12 EVs invested, we will get the following:

$\mathrm{\left( 31 +⌊\frac{\mathrm{12}}{4}⌋\right)}×\frac{\mathrm{50}}{\mathrm{100}}=\mathrm{15.5}+\mathrm{1.5}$

Essentially, 12 EVs give us 1.5 points of stats, which total up with the stats from 31 IVs (15.5) to give us 17 points of stats. If we don’t fill up the .5 stat from the 31 IVs with EVs, it will be rounded down and wasted. This is why the calculator often recommends a spread of 244 HP / 4 Def / 4 SpD instead of 252 HP — you are essentially getting your first stat point at half the EV cost.

How do we factor this into our EVs needed formula? Remember that we only care about the fractional part of the IV contribution (i.e. the part after the decimal point).

$\mathrm{EVs needed}=⌈\left(\frac{\mathrm{\left( Stat – \left\{ IV ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right\} \right) × 400}}{\mathrm{Level}}\right)÷4⌉×4$

Note: { and } in the formula mean we only take the fractional part. For e.g. { 4.5 } = 0.5.

## Factoring in base stat contribution

Your Pokémon species’ base stat actually affects your EV cost too, similar to how IVs do. It’s just that at Level 50, the formula always works out in such a way that base stats always end up without any fractional part.

$\mathrm{Base stat contribution}=2×\mathrm{Base}×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}$ $\mathrm{Base stat contribution \left(LV50\right)}=2×\mathrm{Base}×\frac{\mathrm{50}}{\mathrm{100}}=\mathrm{Base}$

At Levels outside of 50 and 100, however, the base stat contribution can create a fractional part. For example, at Level 32 with a base stat of 70:

$\mathrm{Base stat contribution \left(LV32\right)}=2×\mathrm{70}×\frac{\mathrm{32}}{\mathrm{100}}=\mathrm{44.8}$

Which means we have to factor this into our formula too.

$\mathrm{EVs needed}=⌈\left(\frac{\left( Stat – \left\{ 2 × Base ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}+ IV ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right\} \right) × 400}{\mathrm{Level}}\right)÷4⌉×4$

Fun fact: There have been official online Pokémon tournaments that were held with Pokémon set to Levels outside of 50 and 100; but it was a long time ago.

## Factoring in existing EV contribution

If you’ve already got existing EV investment in a stat, you’ve got to factor that in too. You should know the drill by now.

$\mathrm{EVs needed}=⌈\left(\frac{\left( Stat – \left\{ 2 × Base ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}+ IV ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}+ ⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋ ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right\} \right) × 400}{\mathrm{Level}}\right)÷4⌉×4$

Since the formula is getting a little unwieldy, let’s also reorganise and simplify it:

$\mathrm{EVs needed}=⌈\left(\frac{\left( Stat – \left\{ D \right\} \right) × 400}{\mathrm{Level}}\right)÷4⌉×4$ $\mathrm{Where D = \left\{ 2 × Base ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}+ IV ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}+ ⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋ ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right\}}$ $\mathrm{= \left\{ \left(2 × Base + IV + ⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋ \right) ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right\}}$

## Factoring in nature and other modifiers

If a stat is affected by Nature or other modifiers, you are going to have work that into the formula too. It may sound complicated, but since stat modifiers multiply into the stat, we just have to divide them from the stat in the formula.

We also have to round the result of the division up, since stats are normally rounded down after modifiers are applied.

$\mathrm{EVs needed}=⌈\left(\frac{\left( ⌈ Stat ÷ Modifiers ⌉ – \left\{ D \right\} \right) × 400}{\mathrm{Level}}\right)÷4⌉×4$ $\mathrm{Where Modifiers = Product of all stat modifiers}$

## The final formula

Here is the final formula for calculating how many EVs you need to raise a stat by a specific number of points.

$\mathrm{EVs needed}=⌈\left(\frac{\left( ⌈ Stat ÷ Modifiers ⌉ – \left\{ D \right\} \right) × 400}{\mathrm{Level}}\right)÷4⌉×4$ $\mathrm{Where Stat = Desired increase in stat;}$ $\mathrm{and Modifiers = Product of all stat modifiers;}$ $\mathrm{and D = \left\{ \left(2 × Base + IV + ⌊\frac{\mathrm{EV}}{4}⌋ \right) ×\frac{\mathrm{Level}}{\mathrm{100}}\right\}}$

Gotta say, I’m pretty proud of working this out on my own. Nonetheless, please feel free to point out any errors or mistakes in the comments section!

## There is one comment:

1. Austyn M. says:

Thank you for this, incredible work! I’m making a Speed calculator spreadsheet, and was always just a few EVs off—your write-up helped me realize I have to round up instead of truncating :)


text:
# Must both creatures have the feat Darkstalker for a beholder to be flanked?

A beholder has the extraordinary ability all-around vision, which says, in part, that "they can’t be flanked" (Monster Manual 25).

The benefit of the feat Darkstalker says, in part, that "you can flank creatures that have the all-around vision special quality" (Lords of Madness 179).

Usually, flanking means that "you get a +2 flanking bonus if your opponent is threatened by a character or creature friendly to you on the opponent’s opposite border or opposite corner" (Player's Handbook 153).

If two allied creatures—one with the feat Darkstalker, the other without—are in position to flank a beholder, is one, both, or neither creature flanking the beholder?

Note: In the current campaign beholders have emerged as the primary foe. The rogue is looking for a way to launch his most devastating attacks at the creatures.

Let's start off with some names. We have Derek the Darkstalker, Bob the Beholder, and Nancy the non-Darkstalker. It's the middle of combat, and the map currently looks like this:

. . . . . . .       . = 5 ft square
. . . N . . .       N = Nancy
. . . B . . .       D = Derek
. . D . . . .       B = Beholder
. . . . . . .

At this point, neither Derek nor Nancy are flanking Bob. It's Nancy's initiative, however, so she takes a free 5 foot step to her left:

. . . . . . .       . = 5 ft square
. . . . N . .       N = Nancy
. . . B . . .       D = Derek
. . D . . . .       B = Beholder
. . . . . . .

Now, both Derek and Nancy could flank, according to the rule on flanking. However, it's still Nancy's turn, so she is designated as the flanker, Derek is the assistant, and Bob's the potential victim.

Rules are always evaluated from most specific to least specific, through a process I refer to as "targeting," and what is specifically referred to as "specific beats general." In other words, a rule that targets another rule is more specific than the rule or rules it targets, and will apply first. I've included the relevant text and links below.

Flanking targets any creature in the correct formation, all-around vision targets flankers, and Darkstalker targets all-around vision. For each attack, we determine which rules apply from least specific to most specific, then resolve them in reverse order.

So, since it's still Nancy's turn, she decides to attack. First, we know that they are in flanking position. Second, we also know that the beholder's vision is an exception to flanking. Since there's a conflict in the rules, we depend on Specific Beats General (SBG) to determine which rule applies in this case. The most general rule is obviously the flanking rule. The all-around vision rule is a specific exception to the flanking rule, thus negating the bonus. Nancy is not flanking. Notice how the general rule was observed first, followed by the specific rule, which was observed second, but applied first, negating the flanking rule.

Next, it's Derek's turn. We're already set up for flanking, so Derek decides to attack. Now, thanks to the Darkstalker feat, we have three rules in play, with multiple contradictions. Again, we turn to SBG to determine which one is correct. First, we know that Derek has an assistant, Nancy, who is threatening Bob, so Derek is flanking. Second, we know that Bob cannot be flanked. Third, we know that Darkstalkers specifically target creatures like Bob.

There's only one logical order that we can apply these rules, so we stack them up: flanking, all-around vision, Darkstalker. We know that this must be true because if all-around vision was more specific than Darkstalker, the feat would literally be useless, because any all-around vision creature would trump the feat that was designed to defeat all-around vision. In this way, we can think of conflict resolution as a last in, first out (LIFO) stack. The Darkstalker ability wipes out the all-around vision ability in this conflict, leaving the flanking ability to apply its +2 bonus.

Note: The rules don't call out a LIFO stack specifically. It's heavily implied by the way the rules are written, and it's the only way a DM can consistently come up with results for any combination of rules. Most questions of this nature usually end up with multiple interpretations because the interpreter cannot come up with the order of specificity.

Observing the conflict as a LIFO, it makes it easier to see the results. Different DMs may decide to do it in their head, call a friend, choose what they think should happen, etc.

Summary: The Darkstalker is flanking on their turn if they have an assistant 180 degrees opposite the target that is capable of attacking, even if the target has all-around vision. Note that there are other types of flanking negation that this feat does not negate. It only works on a specific type of creature in a specific situation.

From the Player's Basic Rules:

# SPECIFIC BEATS GENERAL

This book contains rules, especially in parts 2 and 3, that govern how the game plays. That said, many racial traits, class features, spells, magic items, monster abilities, and other game elements break the general rules in some way, creating an exception to how the rest of the game works. Remember this: If a specific rule contradicts a general rule, the specific rule wins.

Exceptions to the rules are often minor. For instance, many adventurers don’t have proficiency with longbows, but every wood elf does because of a racial trait. That trait creates a minor exception in the game. Other examples of rule-breaking are more conspicuous. For instance, an adventurer can’t normally pass through walls, but some spells make that possible. Magic accounts for most of the major exceptions to the rules.

From the SRD:

# FLANKING

When making a melee attack, you get a +2 flanking bonus if your opponent is threatened by a character or creature friendly to you on the opponent’s opposite border or opposite corner.

When in doubt about whether two friendly characters flank an opponent in the middle, trace an imaginary line between the two friendly characters’ centers. If the line passes through opposite borders of the opponent’s space (including corners of those borders), then the opponent is flanked.

Exception: If a flanker takes up more than 1 square, it gets the flanking bonus if any square it occupies counts for flanking.

Only a creature or character that threatens the defender can help an attacker get a flanking bonus.

Creatures with a reach of 0 feet can’t flank an opponent.

• While this makes a whole lot of sense, do any sources back this up? (Also, it'd be great if the answer led with who's flanking whom then addressed why.) – Hey I Can Chan Jun 27 '16 at 12:03
• @HeyICanChan I've made some modifications to the answer. Is this more in line with what you were looking for? – phyrfox Jun 27 '16 at 12:51
• This assumes dnd3.5 makes use of a stack mechanic to resolve its effects. Nowhere I can find is this stated. – Weckar E. Jun 27 '16 at 12:51
• This is more in line (I could, though, do without the flanking review and would still like to know who's flanking whom when), but I think a citation from a different edition may weaken your answer. Further, @WeckarE. is correct that 3.5 lacks a Magic: The Gathering-style stack to determine priority. It's a good argument, but I'm not convinced that establishing specificity is as easy as it sounds here. – Hey I Can Chan Jun 27 '16 at 13:07
• It's not that these are bad ideas or anything, and, again, I'm on board with their functionality, but I'm not sure how I can extrapolate these guidelines generally except via intuition. That is, we can't very well cite and can only barely discuss implied rules. Like your other answer to one of my questions, this one sounds good, but the whole idea of, like, secret, hidden rules still leaves me cold. (That, and I'm still not sure why you're quoting 5E. :-)) Thank you, though, for giving me things to consider. – Hey I Can Chan Jun 27 '16 at 17:20

Probably not.

The closest parallel I see is Improved Uncanny Dodge, which prevents a barbarian from becoming flanked.

This defense denies a rogue the ability to sneak attack the barbarian by flanking him, unless the attacker has at least four more rogue levels than the target has barbarian levels.

I read this as an implication that only the actual attacker needs to be able to flank someone, and his flanking buddy does not (though still needs to threaten, etc. as normal).

Note also that a strict reading of the text of flanking on PHB p. 153 strongly suggests this anyway:

When making a melee attack, you get a +2 flanking bonus if your opponent is threatened by a character or creature friendly to you on the opponent's opposite border or opposite corner.

No mention of flanking as a state-based effect, just "if [conditions], then you get a flanking bonus."


text:
## Algebra 2 (1st Edition)

We know that the discriminant is in the form $b^2-4ac$. If this is positive, there are two real solutions. If this is 0, there is one real solution. If this is negative, there are two imaginary solutions. Thus, the discriminant is what tells us the number and type of solutions to the quadratic equation.


text:
Question
(a) Find the charge on a baseball, thrown at 35.0 m/s perpendicular to the Earth’s $5.00 \times 10^{-5} \textrm{ T}$ field, that experiences a 1.00-N magnetic force. (b) What is unreasonable about this result? (c) Which assumption or premise is responsible?
1. $571 \textrm{ C}$
2. Such a large charge would repel itself off of such a small object. Typical static shocks involve $\approx 5 \textrm{ }\mu\textrm{C}$
3. The $1.00 \textrm{ N}$ force is very overstated.
Solution Video

# OpenStax College Physics Solution, Chapter 22, Problem 85 (Problems & Exercises) (0:52)

#### Sign up to view this solution video!

View sample solution

## Calculator Screenshots

Video Transcript
This is College Physics Answers with Shaun Dychko. The force on this baseball is found using F equals the charge times the baseball speed times the magnetic field strength, and we can solve for q by dividing both sides by VB. So q is F over VB. So that’s one Newton divided by 35 meters per second times five times ten to the minus five Tesla, which gives 571 coulombs. Now such a large charge would repel itself off of such a small object, and it’s a very big number. Typical static shocks involve about five microcoulombs which is a piece of information I found from Wikipedia. So the one Newton force is very overstated and the baseball will likely experience a force much much less than that.


text:
# 2012 Community Moderator Election

The 2012 Community Moderator Election is now underway!

Community moderator elections have three phases:

1. Nomination phase
2. Primary phase
3. Election phase

Most elections take between two and three weeks, but this depends on how many candidates there are.

Please visit the official election page at

https://math.stackexchange.com/election

for more detail, and to participate!

If you have general questions about the election process, or questions for moderator candidates, feel free to ask them here on meta -- just make sure your questions are tagged .

(Answers posted to this announcement should consist of questions for the nominees and general commentary - use separate posts for questions on the election process, suggestions, concerns, and bug reports.)

• I live in Asia(Taiwan). From time to time, I have seen bad things happen on Math SE and were taken care of much later because of time zone. I am hoping somebody in Asia can watch this forum for us(not me, I am not qualified). How do we find such person and nominate him/her? Should I ask this question in a separte question tagged election? May 1, 2012 at 0:42
• People thinking of questions to ask the candidates might want to take a look at previous threads for inspiration. May 1, 2012 at 1:04
• @TheChaz: I've added a bit of clarifying text. Posting an answer here effectively addresses all the candidates (no one owns this question). Post a separate question to begin a tangential discussion, raise concerns, or report bugs. May 1, 2012 at 1:04
• @TheChaz Update your bookmarks - Stack Exchange has provided us with some hosting: elections.stackexchange.com May 1, 2012 at 8:23
• I think scaaahu has a good point that it would be nice to have the moderators spread out a bit over different time zones. May 1, 2012 at 9:07
• @scaaahu: There is now a candidate (Benjamin Lim) who lives in Australia. May 1, 2012 at 12:47
• On that note: it would be quite nice if the prospective nominees can mention their timezones and how often they visit the site in their nomination text... May 1, 2012 at 14:32
• @J.M. I did the latter, will add the former.
– Pedro Mod
May 1, 2012 at 14:54
• @TaraB, I think it would be very painful for a moderator to spread out over different time zones. May 2, 2012 at 0:04
• @Gerry: I believe that's why Tara judiciously chose to use the plural. ;) May 2, 2012 at 1:50
• I agree with the reasoning that ideally moderators should come from a wider range of time zones. OTOH some of them may be 24/7 addicts, so it doesn't necessarily matter much :-) May 2, 2012 at 3:48
• @TaraB Indeed I am able to cover the asia pacific region. I have commented on Willie's post below too about this.
– user5783
May 3, 2012 at 6:49
• Are candidates supposed to answer the questions here (as in, the 'answers' to this 'question') in the comments, or by editing their proposal? May 3, 2012 at 8:23
• Wish you all good luck. May 15, 2012 at 18:41

Question to Moderator Candidates: In Which Time Zone are you?

A very pragmatic question that scaaahu raised in the comments is that our current set of moderators all live in (if I am not mistaken) the narrow band of time zones between UTC+2 and UTC-8. In particular, we have no one covering the "Asian-Pacific region".

The question to the candidates/nominees, should they choose to answer it, is

In which time-zone are you active*?

* It would be most helpful if you factor in your sleep/awake hours. Namely if you live in London but work nights and so get up at 2pm local, you put down something more like UTC-7.

• I fit the status quo, unfortunately. I'm in UTC-5, US East Coast.
– davidlowryduda Mod
May 3, 2012 at 2:40
• I am UTC +10, so I should be able to cover the asia pacific region. Besides during 2pm - 6pm local time here (UTC +10) I have no classes.
– user5783
May 3, 2012 at 6:47
• I disagree on the relevance of this. There was a thread about this recently; I think on English.SE. The point was made that even within a time zone, there are people who use SE in the morning, others who log in in the evening, and some who are here in the wee small hours. So having moderators from multiple time zones is no more beneficial than having a number of moderators in the same time zone.
– user22805
May 3, 2012 at 9:58
• @David: I disagree with that. If you have seven moderators which are active at the same time (say, 10am-10pm of some timezone) then you have twelve more hours without real-time moderator response. It is often not the worst thing that could happen, but there might be rare cases where a real-time intervention is required.
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 3, 2012 at 18:46
• @Asaf: David's point is that being in the same time zone is no guarantee that moderators are active at the same time. The actual habits of the individuals are far more important than the time zones in which they live. Willie's might better have asked when the individual candidates expect to be actively available; their time zone of residence is a proxy, but possibly not a very good one. May 3, 2012 at 20:20
• @Brian: Are we looking at the same question? Mine reads "In which time-zone are you active" and requests to factor sleeping patterns and actual activity hours in...
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 3, 2012 at 20:30
• @Asaf: Ignore the last sentence of my comment: I remembered only the question proper, in which are active can easily be understood as reside (at least by a native speaker), and forgot that Willie had in fact addressed the real issue in the expansion below it. May 3, 2012 at 20:35
• My observation is: during UTC time 06:00-08:00, the traffic volume on Math SE is very low. I believe most people are in bed or not log in to our site except the people in pacific region. I was more worried about spams than anything else. May 4, 2012 at 3:22
• My time zone is UTC+03:30. May 7, 2012 at 20:05
• Though I have added it in my nomination passage, i think i must add it here as well, my time zone is UTC + 5:30 May 8, 2012 at 13:08

I see that out of the current candidates only two have $$>50$$ many helpful flags, and only one has the Deputy badge.

In my eyes flagging is the way for non-moderators help with moderation. It seems to me as intriguing why most candidates wish to "take a leap" from zero to a full-time moderation job.

Furthermore, flagging a lot helps the flagging user shape some idea about the fine-structure of the content boundaries of the website, or on CW

1. (To those whose flag weight is less than $$50$$) In all the time active on the site, why did you not raise many flags? How do you think you will handle this shift from not-flagging to clear flags?

2. (To all) What is your stand on the CW policy? Do you agree or disagree that most big list and soft questions should be turned CW?

• I consider the number of flags virtually irrelevant as a measure of a candidate's qualifications. Dealing with flags is not the same as raising them. Frankly, I'd be more worried about a candidate with a history of raising lots of flags, as I favor keeping moderation to a practical minimum. May 2, 2012 at 21:23
• @Brian: I agree that it is not very relevant. I also strongly agree that minimal moderation is often better than highly intervening one. However there are still a lot of posts that require handling, and there are many flags which are essentially unjustified and should be rejected. I wonder how people unexperienced with knowing what to flag are going to handle this task.
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 2, 2012 at 21:37
• I don't see why you assume that not flagging means that one doesn't know what to flag or, more important, what not to flag. I've almost never flagged simply because I've very seldom seen anything that I thought warranted flagging. Closing, yes; flagging, no. May 2, 2012 at 21:47
• @BrianM.Scott: And are you running for moderator? :-)
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 2, 2012 at 21:49
• Not at the moment. But what I said may well apply to one or more announced candidates. Whether it does or not, the possibility has to be considered and tends to undermine the notion that number of flags raised is a useful measure of ability to handle flags. May 2, 2012 at 21:50
• @Brian: Flagging is not only when there is spam. It is also when someone posts a comment to another answer as an answer; when unregistered accounts need to get merged; etc. I expect moderators to be able to identify such posts on their own as well. I also expect them to be able to judge correctly when an account needs to be merged, or deleted, or so on. This sort of experience is bought in flags.
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 2, 2012 at 21:54
• Asaf, I know all of this. I still don't agree with your last sentence. May 2, 2012 at 21:56
• @Gigili: From my experience the high-rep "control" is for closing questions and occasionally killing spam. Moderator attention is needed for other things as well.
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 2, 2012 at 22:03
• @Gigili: Is my bad Mediterranean English a trouble for you to understand what I am trying to say? Why would any moderator flag anything? I'm not even sure they can. I can testify that my experience with flags slowly made me quicker to notice when accounts need to be merged, when answers should be turned into comments, and when people are just writing low-quality stuff. What you are saying in your above comments reads to me as: I do not wish to go through all the posts, but just through those others have flagged, although I did not bother to make the life of current moderators this easy.
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 2, 2012 at 22:31
• @AsafKaragila Is there any way to bully you into nominating yourself as a moderator? Mainly, so you you don't substitute by running for a political office in which you have access to nuclear weapons. May 2, 2012 at 23:50
• @Asaf: 1. Perhaps the topics or questions I've chosen to answer are atypical in that they don't attract the type of responders that require flagging. I have not come across answers or comments myself that I've thought required flagging. Although I have no 'helpful flags', when I've noticed low-quality or duplicate questions, or they are brought to my attention, I have voted to close or delete where appropriate. To me, this is closer (than flagging) to one of the responsibilities of a moderator: taking action when others point out problems.
– robjohn Mod
May 3, 2012 at 4:37
• @Asaf: 1. (continued) When I have come across wrong or low-quality answers, rather than downvoting or flagging, I have commented to point out the error or weakness, and tried to offer suggestions for improvement where I could. In my opinion, this helps to produce better answers than simply flagging.
– robjohn Mod
May 3, 2012 at 4:37
• @Asaf: 2. Most big-list and soft questions are more survey than research, and for this reason, I would say that most should probably be CW. This is not to say that they are without value; some big-list and soft questions have inspired insightful and interesting answers. I am afraid that setting all big-list and soft questions to CW might reduce the number of good big-list and soft questions along with the bad.
– robjohn Mod
May 3, 2012 at 4:38
• @All(2): With respect to CW, I like how MSE currently runs. I think it's interesting that we have retained a distinct CW policy from the rest of the SE sites, likely due to our affinity with MO. I think it was Atwood himself who once descended from the Overflow-heavens to say that he thought that MSE could handle CW and soft questions due to the large number of 'real' or 'hard' questions we get. I think I largely agree with Atwood on this point (not with everything). I would be saddened if every question were soft, but they aren't and they won't be. So I believe in them. But I also believe...
– davidlowryduda Mod
May 5, 2012 at 0:44
• ...(continued) that big-list or very soft questions should be CW in general. This isn't a hard line. It's like trying to define math: I can't really do it, but I know it when I see it. And fortunately, usually people from the communnity (i.e. not official mods) call out that something should or shouldn't be CW, and I like the current way we deal with such questions.
– davidlowryduda Mod
May 5, 2012 at 0:45
1. How much time do you have to spare and have you thought about whether you are really willing to continue this effort over a long time period?
3. Have you looked at the behaviour and style of the current moderators and do you think that you could cooperate well with them?
• 1. I have been spending several hours a day on Q&A and chat. I don't see any reason why that would change. 2. If an answer is given in a comment that looks acceptable, I would suggest, in a comment to the commenter, that it be added it as an answer. If they don't add it as an answer in a reasonable time (a few days), I see no difficulty adding the answer as CW. 3. The moderators I have dealt with seem quite amicable; I don't think I would have any difficulty working with them.
– robjohn Mod
May 4, 2012 at 1:22
• 1. As I said in my nomination, My job is such that I need to be online. Consequently, I'm nearly always online and available, except when I'm eating or sleeping of course. 2. If I think a comment answers a question, and I see no reason for it not to be an answer, I'll convert it to an answer immediately. Otherwise, I'll inform the commentator or leave the comment alone. May 4, 2012 at 8:48
• 3. I know Mariano from chat, but I don't think I'm the kind of person who has difficulty communicating with people, especially well-educated people such as the Stack Exchange moderators. May 4, 2012 at 8:57
• Do the current moderators convert people's comments to answers without asking them first? I would consider that much too strong an intervention. May 4, 2012 at 9:19
• Also, the problem with "answers in comment" is, usually people tend to do so because they want to see other users' reaction to their comment then they are more willing to post it as an answer. Who finds earning reps annoying? May 4, 2012 at 9:42
• I am not sure a moderator can convert comments into answers. However I am sure, the other way around is possible? Will some moderator shed some light?
– user21436
May 4, 2012 at 11:28
• We do convert answers into comments: I have only done this in cases where it was obvious that the user was really trying to ask for amplifications on some other user's answer, or on the question itself, or obviously not anwering the question nor giving a hint or anything—except for a couple of cases in months, I have only done this in response to not-an-answer flags (but I do not always react to not-an-answer flag in this way). I am pretty sure the other mods follow the same standard here. May 4, 2012 at 18:36
• Dar Phira, your point 2 does not so much pertain to what moderators do, but what users do: IMO it is users who should suggest those that leave answers as comments to turn them into full answers, and authors of too-partial-hints to expand on them so that they become more generally useful. I will not intervene in such situations with my mod hat unless there is an actual problem. May 4, 2012 at 18:39
• @MarianoSuárez-Alvarez I don't think that your stance (it is the users' job to flag this) can be just assumed for the candidates I am asking. It is also not clear that they will react in the same way to flags as you do. Read what Gigili answered to question 2 if you think that your answer is a given. May 4, 2012 at 18:53
• I have read it, and other things related to this, and I am pretty sure that my stance is not a given! :) In fact, several of the nominees seem to view the role of mods to be closer to that of «curators» or «editors» of the site—I am of quite the opposite view. Even before becomign a mod I preferred to leave a comment on a question suggesting that the author fix something than actually fixing it myself (and this is, in general, more work for me than the alternative!) It is more instructive, I think, to point to a typo on a title suggesting that it be fixed than fixing it myself :) May 4, 2012 at 18:58
• @Gigili, sorry but I find your comment ...usually people tend to do so because they want to see other users' reaction to their comment... actually a bit offensive. There are several of us college/university level teachers here. Many of us give "answers in comments" for the sole purpose to give extensive hints and try to teach the original poster to see the light him/herself. This is not a perfect approach on a Q&A forum, but it is the best we can do. I feel that the keen student's interests are best served this way. If you think that we do it to "test waters" that makes me very sad. May 4, 2012 at 19:33
• @JyrkiLahtonen: I know there are college level teachers here as well students. It was my observation, not a long ago (yesterday) someone posted a comment and when it received 7 upvotes, he posted an answer and I've seen a lot of cases like that. I didn't mean to upset you, I was just clarifying the point I made, that sometimes it's possible to convert the comment to an answer without warnings. Sorry if my comment was a bit harsh, It wasn't targeted to high-level mathematicians like you. May 4, 2012 at 19:53
• How much time do I have to spare? It's not at all constant - I'm a math phd student. Sometimes I'm really busy, other times I'm without inspiration. But I've been a site regular for the last year, and I plan on being one for the coming year too. Answers in Comments I don't think it's a moderator's place intervene. I'd leave a comment...
– davidlowryduda Mod
May 5, 2012 at 1:11
• (oops - I missed one): And I leave partial answers all the time. Sometimes, they're the only answer. Sometimes, the OP asks for details in the comments. Or other users. Others sometimes do the same; or they don't, and they give the full answer. This is another case where I don't think the mods intervene. I certainly wouldn't edit out details from a question. But in the past, I have been annoyed when some of us answered a question in hints and someone else wrote an explicit description. So I did what I think any member of the community would do: I wrote a comment. And that's still what I'd do.
– davidlowryduda Mod
May 5, 2012 at 1:14

Question for Moderator Candidates:

Has your account on Math.SE ever been suspended? How many times? What were the circumstances of your suspension, and why do you think that your behavior will improve once you are given greater authority?

Obviously, suspensions and the circumstances for suspensions are generally not publicly discussed; however, I think once a user nominates themselves for a moderator position the community has some right to get an explanation for behavior that warranted a suspension.

• Yes, once. Since I'm active in MSE chat room, I once got into an argument with a user who called me "he" despite he knew I'm female. I got offended and made a remark and a 30 minutes chat suspension afterwards. I don't want to vindicate it but I think I needed an experience like that. I'll try my best to be reasonable and avoid getting into an argument like that but in a case it happens again, I'll take some pills to control my temper! =) May 7, 2012 at 20:52
• No, mine has never been suspended.
– davidlowryduda Mod
May 7, 2012 at 20:55
• @Gigili: Aspirin is just a blood thinner. You might want to try something that will actually help you relax.
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 7, 2012 at 21:29
• So, the candidates can arm twist facts? And, nobody should clarify that the statements here are not true?
– user21436
May 7, 2012 at 21:32
• @KannappanSampath Obviously, a lot of posts are already missing from this conversation, but I have to inform you that no, "he" is not a general reference to an unknown person. May 7, 2012 at 22:02
• @KannappanSampath, Gigili: can you please remove these comments and maybe replace them by something less inflamed? There is no need to retrace history here. May 8, 2012 at 3:14
• @KannappanSampath However unappropriate the situation was, I don't think it should be brought up here.
– Pedro Mod
May 8, 2012 at 4:04
• @Mariano I have obliged. And, I am willing to see the same from Gigili.
– user21436
May 8, 2012 at 7:49
• @Peter So, I should shut my mouth whenever she pokes needle into my mouth? I don't understand your logic. Regards,
– user21436
May 8, 2012 at 7:50
• NO,my account has not been suspended , ever. May 8, 2012 at 13:04
• @KannappanSampath I think you should stand up for yourself, but elswhere.
– Pedro Mod
May 8, 2012 at 14:36

(This is not an official announcement)

It looks as though Bill Dubuque and Eric Naslund were elected. Just wanted to upload this for those who aren't active on chat.

Zhen Lin posted his computations: http://pastebin.com/xRtnG2wq
Not sure if these are identical, but Bill uploaded more: http://i.stack.imgur.com/Stphi.jpg

• Thanks for the information @TheChaz. I think you should post this as a new post instead.
– user17762
May 15, 2012 at 20:29
• @Marvis: I get the sense that there are official protocols for identifying those elected, and notifying them/the hoi polloi. Just wanted to put up a stopgap without stepping on too many toes... May 15, 2012 at 20:31
• Congratulations @BillDubuque
– user17762
May 15, 2012 at 20:36
• Congratulations @EricNaslund
– user17762
May 15, 2012 at 20:37
• Thanks for the preliminary results. These were available as raw data at 20:00 UTC, but the processed results are now available here and here
– robjohn Mod
May 16, 2012 at 3:43
• @robjohn Bad luck! You were one among my three candidates. You should definitely contest the next time as well! Good luck next time!
– user17762
May 16, 2012 at 4:20
• Congrats to Bill and Eric. Good luck! Just one general question. How was the outcome decided? The numbers on the transcript are mostly Greek to me :-) It would not have changed my votes, but it would have been nice to have seen a description of the algorithm in advance. Why was this bit left out? I still couldn't find it from any official SE page. Without an explanation I would have expected something like: 3 votes to 1st pick, 2 to the 2nd, one to the 3rd. A big minus to the system for not automatically giving a link to an explanation. May 16, 2012 at 6:55
• @Jyrki: (a link to the wiki page of) the method of tabulation was available on the sidebar of the main election page (linked in the OP above). Meeks method, or something like that. This was discussed/confirmed in chat as said users were posting the calculations. May 16, 2012 at 15:02

Question to Moderator Candidates: Are you also active on MathOverflow? Are you active on Meta there?

The two sites are somewhat connected and I quite like that. There are also often discussion on MO-Meta about problematic behaviors of users active at both sites. I think this is relevant information for MO-moderators.

ETA: As a response to some comments that don't see any way in which being on MO or MO-Meta could impact moderation of Math.SE I thought I would add some concrete examples as to why it might be helpful for moderators here to be involved on MO, particularly MO-Meta.

First, MO and math.SE are overlapping communities, and as such have many overlapping users and problems. Sometimes being aware of a problem user or question from MO-Meta can help the moderators here be more vigilant with respect to that user or question on math.SE. Also some system problems crop up in both places, and more information in such situations is always better. Some examples from MO-Meta:

There are many more such examples if one wants to search the comments on MO-Meta for "math.SE" or "MSE".

In addition to helping the moderators become aware of potential problems earlier, some high rep math.SE users and moderators have, I would say, been "unofficial spokespeople" for the math.SE community. This is obviously above and beyond moderation duties, but is a very nice thing for them to have done and helps the math.SE community (and its moderation) by making sure MO is referring the right sorts of questions here, and in the right way. Two great examples of such posts on MO-Meta:

I hope these examples illustrate some of the benefits the math.SE community has derived from having moderators here be aware of what is going on at MO and MO-Meta. Of course, being a research mathematician certainly shouldn't be a prerequisite for being a moderator of math.SE, but there are solid reasons to ask the question about activity on that site in particular.

• Yes, good question. I know at least two current moderators actively participate meta.MO and I suppose they can carry the word over if needed.
– Asaf Karagila Mod
May 3, 2012 at 0:24
• I browse MO quite a bit, but I haven't been an active participant, unfortunately. But as I delve deeper into my studies, I suspect that I will be using it more.
– davidlowryduda Mod
May 3, 2012 at 2:36
• I am not a member of MathOverflow; however, I have frequently read posts on MO and on meta.MO. However, as it might be informative not only regarding users with problem behaviors, but also regarding topics related to site moderation, it would seem to be a good idea for any math.SE moderator to join MO.
– robjohn Mod
May 3, 2012 at 5:06
• I don't see how this might help one moderating MSE. May 3, 2012 at 5:38
• One can't help but wonder if the ever-charming Princess @Gigili is responsible for the lone downvote on 3 of the 4 "answers" here... you don't like me, you argued with Asaf, and you don't see the benefit of being an MO user ! May 3, 2012 at 6:04
• @rar: That makes perfect sense. But it goes beyond the moderating role, as you said. May 3, 2012 at 6:37
• @TheChaz: On meta, I simply downvote when I disagree, I suppose it's how it works. May 3, 2012 at 6:42
• @Gigili I guess I shouldn't have deleted that comment now that you've responded to it. I don't seem to have any way to undelete it, however. Sorry.
– user23784
May 3, 2012 at 6:44
• I'm not active on MO because I'm not a research mathematician. I have an account, which I used before I knew of the existence of M.SE, but quickly transitioned to using M.SE as a more appropriate forum for the kind of mathematics that I want to discuss. The two sites have different aims, participants and cultures. It is common that questions on MO should be moved to M.SE (so there is benefit to an MO moderator being familiar with M.SE) but the flow rarely goes in the other direction. It's possible that problematic users will use both sites though, so I would check Meta.MO if I was a moderator. May 3, 2012 at 8:36
• @TheChaz - I think that not being afraid of an argument is a great attribute for a moderator to have. Sometimes, it is necessary for a moderator to show his/her teeth, as well as to be able to justify his/her position. And let's face it, Asaf badly needed someone to argue with him, after all that talk of nuclear domination. Also, I don't understand how being an MO user would help a moderator here; Gigili is a user of many other sites, so she's perfectly well aware of the principles of moderation. The fact that she's not a research-level mathematician is completely irrelevant.
– user22805
May 3, 2012 at 10:50
• @TheChaz and honestly, after your sarcastic remarks about charming princesses, I wouldn't be too surprised if Gigili doesn't like you much. The fact that she has spoken up so vocally here makes me far more inclined to support her candidacy than if she had just lain back and sucked up all the vitriol that has been directed at her. After everything that's happened here, I admire her backbone immensely. I will undoubtedly be voting for her once the election begins.
– user22805
May 3, 2012 at 10:55
• My concern when I hear about meta.MO being used to discuss things happening on math.SE is things like this and this. May 3, 2012 at 19:09
• @David: Surprisingly, I find myself in total agreement with your first comment (though I meant my comment about MO/lack thereof to be evidence of a downvote only). I confess to playing the antagonist with the Harbinger of Pleasantry, but am concerned with... well, I'll save it for the primary :) May 3, 2012 at 19:21
• FWIW I upvoted this answer, too. Something that the candidates should know about, and certainly me the voter likes to hear about. BUT a nominee, who is not a research mathematician, should not register at MO as a response to this question. IMHO that is quite the wrong reaction. May 4, 2012 at 14:16
• @AsafKaragila I'm sorry, but I did not mean you any offence. However, I do stand by my comment. If you want it deleted, then flag it for moderator attention. I will not delete it myself.
– user22805
May 5, 2012 at 12:39

Since it is more organized, and I am one of the last people to nominate themselves, I am posting my answers here:

How much time do you have to spare and have you thought about whether you are really willing to continue this effort over a long time period?

Hopefully my participation up to present will answer this question: So far, I having been using the site consistently for the last 15 months, averaging a post a day and reading many more. During this time I have also participated actively on Meta, frequently commenting and visiting the site, and averaging a post every two weeks.

Have you looked at the behaviour and style of the current moderators and do you think that you could cooperate well with them?

Yes.

In Which Time Zone are you?

I currently live in Paris, UTC+2, but will be returning to Vancouver, UTC-7, in August. It is worth noting that in November Vancouver returns to standard time (from daylight savings) which is UTC-8.

Are you also active on MathOverflow? Are you active on Meta there?

I frequently use Math Overflow, and browse several of the tags daily; here is my account. I also read the meta posts, but I am not interested in participating in the meta there for several reasons.

(To those whose flag weight is less than 50) In all the time active on the site, why did you not raise many flags? How do you think you will handle this shift from not-flagging to clear flags?

I have usually tried to deal with problematic posts in one of the many ways which are open to top users. Often leaving a comment for the OP can be very constructive. There are however some cases where flagging is important, and I have occasionally come across this and appropriately flagged.

(To all) What is your stand on the CW policy? Do you agree or disagree that most big list and soft questions should be turned CW?

I think it depends on the question, but I am more inclined to make soft questions CW. What I believe is most important is having a consistent standard.

Has your account on Math.SE ever been suspended?

No, never.

(To those whose flag weight is less than 50) In all the time active on the site, why did you not raise many flags? How do you think you will handle this shift from not-flagging to clear flags? - Asaf Karagila

I tended to comment on the mishap rather than flag, since the system was alien to me. However, when I discovered the system, I flagged and commented on problematic situations. When it comes to questions, I tend to vote to close rather than flagging, since it saves the mods some time.

(To all) What is your stand on the CW policy? Do you agree or disagree that most big list and soft questions should be turned CW? - Asaf Karagila

I agree that most big list and soft questions should be CW. The latter tend to get votes steming from subjectivity and the former is just a compendium The votes should serve to order the questions as the community sees fit. See here how I got simply +1 and another user got +6, but the OP chose my question (please avoid voting when visiting the link, I don't want any complaints of propaganda). It is simply subjective.

How much time do you have to spare and have you thought about whether you are really willing to continue this effort over a long time period?

I have a nice deal of time to spare. However, since I'm in University, there will be times I'll be studying for exams. I don't think being a moderator is too hard of an effort, so I think I will be able to continue participating.

Both are useful. Why? They help the OP to think. They don't serve the full dish, so it (hopefully) motivates the OP in trying to work on his own. The hint comments do no harm, and are usually upvoted by the community. As for questions, they have to be well thought out. Usually, the good hint answers come from high rep users who can produce such useful hints. I see a small problematic in new users that tend to answer with a comment, saying "Use this and that", but produce low quality hints. These can be either made a comment or deleted altogether, depending on their quality.

Have you looked at the behaviour and style of the current moderators and do you think that you could cooperate well with them?

I have. However, since I am not part of the team, I will have to get to know their ways and preferences, and this can be only achieved with some time of work.

Question to Moderator Candidates: Are you also active on MathOverflow? Are you active on Meta there? I am not active. I'm a freshman university student in mathematics.

Question to Moderator Candidates: In Which Time Zone are you? I'm in UTC -3.00.

Question to moderator candidates

The election statistics page (click "Mathematics") lists some statistics, including:

• Number of answers/questions (on both main and meta)
• Reputation (total, per post, per day)
• Badges (number of gold, silver, as well as "Yes/no" for "Noteworthy badges")

The nomination page also lists the number of helpful flags of each candidate. (Asaf has now written an entire question about this, so I'll defer to that)

$1.$ Which of these statistics do you think is most important for determining if a candidate is qualified to be a moderator? Least important?

$2.$ Are there other objective/quantifiable qualities that the community should look for in the candidates?

$3.$ Are you "weak" (numerically) in any important areas? What are your thoughts on this area(s) as it relates to you specifically?

$4.$ On a scale of $1 - 10$ (low to high), how proud of you will your mother/maternal figure be if you are elected?

• The fourth one should not be a question here. May 3, 2012 at 18:02
• @Eric: "Should"?? Maybe not. I find the fourth point of Saurav's nomination endearing, and thought it funny to include. Feel free to not answer it. May 3, 2012 at 18:41
• It is endearing, my comment was a bit harsh, but I don't think there is a strong connection between $4$ and choosing who would best moderator Math Stack Exchange. May 3, 2012 at 22:56
• @Eric: Agreed. ${}{}$ May 3, 2012 at 23:24
• in response to question number 4, a sure 10. :-) May 8, 2012 at 13:03
• @EricNaslund, The Chaz's humorousness and informality is a nice and balancing touch to some of the more serious-toned users here. Don't think anything was meant by it. :)
– 000
May 8, 2012 at 23:26
• @Limitless: Maybe I went too far... none of the candidates have felt the need to answer any of the first three questions! I chalk this (and other seemingly negative experiences that I have on MSE) up to the "jackass" persona that I have carefully crafted over the past year. May 8, 2012 at 23:50
• @TheChaz, very possible. However, I see purpose in your questions. I do not know about their intentions with respect to not answering your questions.
– 000
May 8, 2012 at 23:56
• Re: 2: I would advise the community to vote for the candidates that they think will be most effective solving the major issues challenging the site, esp. dealing with tension over contentious meta issues. These are often the things that can cause a general math forum to crash and burn. Conversely, the quicker such issues are resolved, the smoother the main site will grow, and the easier it will be to attract further knowledgeable members. May 9, 2012 at 2:08