Problem Solving

Since this just came up on another thread, I thought I'd post this here, and if it's useful perhaps it can be stickied.

When posting your question, please type it as clearly as you can! Here are a few formatting basics:

1) Use superscripts (x³) instead of carets (x^3), especially when the exponent is a variable (3� NOT 3^n)

You can find all the superscripts you need toward the bottom of this page - just copy and paste! Carets are sloppy and problematic, and there's no excuse for using them on most problems.

2) Use parentheses, especially when division or roots are involved

Is 10²-9/2 equal to (10²-9)/2 or 10²-(9/2)? No one knows! We can often infer the correct equation from context, but there are plenty of times where it remains ambiguous: what's √3x + 9, for instance? It could be √(3x+9) or √(3x) + 9 or even x√3 + 9 in some nightmare scenario of poor formatting. Help us!

3) Use √, π, ˚ and ≈

These are easy! On a Mac, just type them as follows:

√ = Option + v
Ï€ = Option + p
Ëš = Option + k
≈ = Option + x

There are certainly others that I can't remember, so if anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to add them to the thread.