What’s the difference between simply asking a questtion and asking a smart question? One could simply ask for the answer to something, complain about something not working or goingg their way, or explain how they think they are right but still are unsure why their answer isn’t working. According to Eric Raymond, a smart question reqiures one to ask something that is well thought out before hand, has some sort of work to back it up if clarification is needed, shows that there was an effort in order to solve one’s own question or problem, be willing to accept that they are wrong or had an incorrect line of thinking, and most of all be humble and polite in asking. If someone is asking for help, they should be open to others helping them, and in turn they should be as clear as possible in order to help those who are willing to help them.
A Stackoverflow question posted by the user “GManNickG”, they asked why it is faster processing a sorted array faster than processing an unsorted array. Immediately their question is concise in asking for a direct comparison between two existing things, rather than simply asking “why is processing a sorted array so fast?” which seems very open ended and would lead the reader a bit confused. In their description they state that in their research of their own question that sorting data in an array before a timed region is approximately six times faster. They also show that they have statistical data backing up their claim as they state that sorting the data first takes about 11.54 seconds whereas an already sorted array takes 1.93 seconds. This shows that the asker has already done some work looking into their question and provided as much details and data as they could.
They even tried to eliminate the possibility of it being the language that it was written in, which was originally in C++, to translating it to Java, which is stated to have similar yet less extreme results.
When answered the top reply garnered over 35,000 upvotes and the response was very clear in detail. They use a clever analogy of a train going along its tracks where there is a section where there is a junction and the conductor does not know which way they are supposed to go until they have already passed it and chosen a lane. While it is possible to guess each time and hope to be right, the chance of being wrong would lead to the train having to stop and go back, taking more time. However if the conductor knew which path to take there would no longer be a reason to guess and potentially take up time. This is a very helpful answer as it describes the situation in a very simple and down to Earth explanation, so that the general populace could understand even if they are new to coding rather than using jargon that only those with a lot of experience would understand and follow. link to question: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11227809/why-is-processing-a-sorted-array-faster-than-processing-an-unsorted-array
There are some questions that don’t follow the same flow as shown above that reflect on what kind of questions one should ask. The question asked was what the simplest possible way to get a div button to hide its parent div on click in React.js. While they were clear on what their objective is, namely them stating that they have a parent div and its two children, the first being the hide button and the second containing the meaningful content. They also provided a picture of their code of what they had and stated that they knew of a better way. The issue arises when they say that the solution they are thinking of doesn’t work in React.js. This shows a sort of close-mindedness as they are saying that the thing they thought would work isn’t. They then go on to say that they know of a few solutions but those are too complicated. This is an example of having the tools readily available to you but you don’t want to take the time do so. They then restate the question they asked in the beginning and ended their post. While the answer given was a solution to the asker’s problem, all the solution entailed was code that could be copied and pasted in order to work. No type of explanation was given and only a link was pasted at the bottom in order to show a working model, which may mean that the person who answered might have just copied that code. The main point however is the disconnect between the answer given here and the former answer given earlier. This answer is similar to telling someone the answer to a math problem with no description other than “here’s the answer” whereas the other one is more akin to a tutor who helps them understand how they got to such a solution so that for future reference they too can think in a similar manner. link to quesiton: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/78976972/what-is-the-simplest-possible-way-to-get-a-div-button-to-hide-its-parent-div-on
While people ask questions in their own way and there is truly no real correct or wrong way to ask one, the amount of effort one puts into their curiosity is reflected in the type of answer they get. One who puts a lot of time and effort into their question shows a more willingness to learn and be open to new things. Meanwhile one who only looks for answers may find it hard to find someone who will just give them the answer when it seems like there was no effort given by the person asking.