How do you feel about the Maths forum?

I don't really like big threads like this. I think a new thread for each question is better because it can be very hard to keep up with posts if lots of people are posting questions at once. If we want a thread to encourage GCSE users to post then fair enough, but I think they should be encouraged to post questions in individual threads.

BTW we now have 5 threads stickied in the main maths forum, and this pushes the posting guide down to the bottom. Is there a way to make it the top sticky?

This isn't true though. Mathematics is the most popular A level subject in the UK and the number of candidates is at an all-time high.

Surely the thread 'A Summer of maths (ASOM) 2016' shouldn't be a sticky anymore? It hasn't had a post since September plus it's not summer 2016 anymore

Surely the thread 'A Summer of maths (ASOM) 2016' shouldn't be a sticky anymore? It hasn't had a post since September plus it's not summer 2016 anymore

Will there be a year 12/AS Maths thread? I would frequent the thread, since I'm a bit thick when it comes to certain problems .

Will there be a year 12/AS Maths thread? I would frequent the thread, since I'm a bit thick when it comes to certain problems .

If you want one, feel free to make one - it's your forum, you don't have to ask for permission!

Actually, there already is one!

It's actually the same as the Year 13 one which is stickied on this forum, however no Y12's have posted anything much on it at the start of the academic year so it got buried a bit, but it exists nonetheless

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3470381

Would everyone like to keep the Proof is Trivial thread stickied? It hasn't been posted in for a while and now we have year group threads, I feel like a lot of the discussion that would have happened in there is now happening in them instead.

The Proof is Trivial thread is quite different from those other threads. The idea of threads like this (and there have been many) is to post "interesting/challenging/difficult" problems - exactly what you don't want going into the year group threads.

Unfortunately, It seems to always happen that whenever there's a "interesting problems" thread, there's an escalation war; obviously the more able posters tend to reply more often, and then they are the only ones posting (and answering) problems, so the problems get harder. At this point half of the "more able" posters are now "less able" when you look at who is posting, and they start dropping out. Lather, rinse, repeat, and you get a thread dominated by 3 BMO candidates and 2 Trinity undergrads. (The last is made up - no offense to anyone who fits the description!).

Edit: it should probably be made clear to people that the judgement of "interesting" shoud be geared to the audience, not the person posing the problem. [To be far cruder: these threads should not be being used to display the size of your mathematical genitalia...]

I'm not a huge fan of such threads, but I think people should be free to make them if they want. The problem is whether to make them sticky - for the forum as a whole, I don't think it's useful. But I'm not sure the threads would survive without being stickied.

Just have to say that personally, I hate the idea of half the front page ending up being stickied threads.

The Proof is Trivial thread is quite different from those other threads. The idea of threads like this (and there have been many) is to post "interesting/challenging/difficult" problems - exactly what you don't want going into the year group threads.

Unfortunately, It seems to always happen that whenever there's a "interesting problems" thread, there's an escalation war; obviously the more able posters tend to reply more often, and then they are the only ones posting (and answering) problems, so the problems get harder. At this point half of the "more able" posters are now "less able" when you look at who is posting, and they start dropping out. Lather, rinse, repeat, and you get a thread dominated by 3 BMO candidates and 2 Trinity undergrads. (The last is made up - no offense to anyone who fits the description!).

Edit: it should probably be made clear to people that the judgement of "interesting" shoud be geared to the audience, not the person posing the problem. [To be far cruder: these threads should not be being used to display the size of your mathematical genitalia...]

I'm not a huge fan of such threads, but I think people should be free to make them if they want. The problem is whether to make them sticky - for the forum as a whole, I don't think it's useful. But I'm not sure the threads would survive without being stickied.

Just have to say that personally, I hate the idea of half the front page ending up being stickied threads.

PRSOM and well said.

I did start working on an index to the megathreads, so they wouldn't be lost and wouldn't need to remain stickified - just the one index. But I got so disenchanted with what was going on with the maths forum at the time, I lost all enthusiasm for the project, and for the forum.

Your "cruder" comment sums up one of the issues that put me off this forum at the time.

Quick cheat to find the threads with the most replies - use "forum tools" > "filter threads" tick box and change the drop downs

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=38&s=&sort=replycount&prefixid=&pp=80&daysprune=-1&order=desc

PRSOM and well said.

I did start working on an index to the megathreads, so they wouldn't be lost and wouldn't need to remain stickified - just the one index. But I got so disenchanted with what was going on with the maths forum at the time, I lost all enthusiasm for the project, and for the forum.

Your "cruder" comment sums up one of the issues that put me off this forum at the time.

Speaking from a universities/UCAS point of view:

There are a LOT of people who struggle/get rejected because they don't have the key C grade at maths GCSE (having repeatedly sat and got D grades). With the possibility of more universities asking for a 5 grade where previously a C was acceptable this is likely to get worse (the C grade has been split between a 4 (low C) and a 5 (high C)).

Having a GCSE maths resit study group or similar for these users to work together (and get help) on how to get that critical increase would be really useful and might help to broaden the appeal of the forum beyond the A/A* crowd (who should be able to help these students a lot).

I agree - these posters are being 'put off' by some posters that like to show off or use inappropriate methods.

Able mathematicians aren't always aware of the difficulties that others face can can, albeit unintentionlly, come over as unhelpful. Sometimes it's better if a teacher responds as they are more familiar with these students' needs.

(and for the record - never ever feel bad about 4-5 stickies https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=71 - excessive but necessary to keep any sort of order in that forum )