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Wikipedia:Reference desk/FAQ

< Wikipedia:Reference desk


The idea is that when someone encounters a question that has been asked before, they place links to both those questions here, under a meaningful header (possibly with links to other related questions as well). Once that is done, people can start cleaning up both the answers and the questions, merging them into one set. No two questions are ever the same, but a common ground could be found and the answer could be polished to perfection over time (making it more article-like).

Of course, all this assuming there is no answer to that question yet in an article. In that case the question could still be placed here, but accompanied with just a link to that article instead of an answer. If that does not satisfy people, then that is an indication that the article needs to be adapted. In that sense the reference desk could be seen as an aid to improve articles.

How questions are categorised here does not necessarily reflect where they were originally asked.

Not all questions have all relevant reference desk links. Some have just one link because someone remembered a question being asked before, but not where.

Computing edit

Hidden file edit

Science edit

Work (energy) edit

Does everyone who sees colours see red the same way? edit

What happens if the sun disappears or stops shining? edit

The edge of the Universe edit

Is marijuana bad for you? edit

Mathematics edit

Why is 1+1 = 2? edit

Area of an irregular shape edit

Finding Hamlet in π edit

Positional number systems with non-integral bases edit

Miscellaneous edit

Sneezing at the Sun edit

Volcanologist's wages edit

Oldest airline still in business edit

How do you check whether a company with a certain name exists? edit

What kept Hitler from invading Switzerland and Sweden? edit

Famous people on Wikipedia edit

How many humans have ever lived? edit

There is a discussion of this question in the article World population. The best estimates hover around 100 billion.

Wikipedia mirrors edit

Asked very often.

Human resource management edit

Why are voltages always a multitude of 11V? edit

Humanities edit

Trotsky vs Stalin edit

Persia vs Greece edit

Public Domain works that contain copyrighted characters? edit

Why do men have nipples? edit

Decomposition edit

Why wet things are dark edit

The Internet after a global catastrophe edit

Watertight ship's propeller edit

Cutting worms in half edit

Most valuable substance edit

This was also asked a few months earlier.

Why do men on 19th century portraits pose with one hand in the jacket? edit

What are the dates for viewing the Siena Duomo's pavement? edit

How can I get my novel published? edit

Why did George Fox visit Barbados in 1671? edit

Language edit

See also Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language/FAQs

What language is this? edit

(asked too often to list the occasions)

Wikipedia:Language recognition chart might help, as might the Xerox Language Identifier.

Name for the first decade of the 21st century edit

Easiest/hardest language to learn edit

See also Hardest language

Who was the greatest polyglot? edit

"People" or "persons"? edit

"Further" or "farther"? edit

"Two weeks notice" or "two weeks' notice"? edit

Entertainment edit

See also edit

Wikipedia:Reference desk/Language/FAQs

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