Server Info

ABOUT

We are a mathematics server but we are a part of a larger network of science-centered servers. If you are interested in other scientific topics, check out the servers listed in #network.

Our rules are intentionally vague and incomplete. Just because something is not explicitly forbidden here, does not mean it is okay to do. Instead we have a set of standards for our community that we’re trying to upkeep, and moderators reserve their right to exercise personal judgment in deciding whether a given user’s conduct falls out of line with these standards.

First of all, we try to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment for all kinds of people. This requires placing restrictions on some forms of behavior that is antisocial or potentially harmful to others. Things that are obviously not okay include: insulting, attacking, or harassing anyone; trolling, gaslighting; racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, or any other prejudice against minorities. Different people have different sensitivity to offense, and we try to establish a reasonable lowest common denominator, hence just because you didn’t intend to offend anyone or just because you didn’t find something offensive, doesn’t mean that the other person won’t. Whether you intend it or not, certain kinds of language can be hurtful to certain groups of people. As such, slurs that are derogatory to said minorities are also completely disallowed. It is also not okay to publish people’s private information without their consent (doxxing), even if you could find this information easily. As the server is open to underage people, NSFW content is prohibited.

The above may seem to infringe on your right to free speech. But we are not a country and we do not grant you inalienable rights. Being here is a privilege and not a right, and we intentionally place limits on certain kinds of “free speech”, e.g. hateful speech.

Second, we try to provide an academic atmosphere facilitating discussing and learning mathematics. Recognize that everyone here is a volunteer — no one is obligated to help you, but they may if you ask nicely. Avoid DMing people for help without their consent: that places the responsibility of answering your question on them and them alone. On the other hand if you have knowledge to share please consider giving back to the community by helping people around. Also recognize that everyone is at different stages in their education, and don’t be rude or condescending to people who know less than you. We disallow and discourage any forms of academic dishonesty: cheating, plagiarism, etc. If the purpose of an exam or a test is to verify your knowledge of the subject then it is unfair to get someone else’s help with it. If the purpose of a homework assignment is for you to work on exercises, then it is unfair if someone else does the bulk of work for you. For this reason we encourage those who help with answering questions to teach how to arrive at the answer, rather than giving the answer upfront. On the flip side, we encourage those who ask questions to demonstrate effort into solving their problem. In lieu of an academic atmosphere, we ask everyone to exercise rationality and critical thinking. We ask everyone to avoid logical fallacies, cognitive biases, and invalid heuristics; and to politely point out if someone else makes such mistakes in their reasoning. We discourage spreading anti-scientific ideas.

Last but not least, we are people who are passionate about what we do, and to dilute the formal academic atmosphere we have several channels for socializing, chatting about general topics, and making friends. However we ask newcomers to recognize what the main purpose of this server is (mathematics), and that this is not a server for random shitposting. On the other hand we ask regulars to be open to new people and avoid any sort of elitism.

We are a Discord server and we have to abide by the Discord Terms of Service. In particular, if anyone is found out to be under the age of 13, they will be removed from the server. We appreciate and support young people interested in mathematics, but it is illegal for Discord to collect data from children. Likewise we support open access to educational media, but uploads and links with pirated content will be removed.

Ultimately @Moderators are the people who have the administrative power to punish for any infractions, but a lot of issues can be resolved with a simple conversation. A lot of the time issues might arise because of a mistake, misunderstanding, or due to ignorance or carelessness, and we are willing to assume good faith (within reasonable limits). We encourage regular members who feel familiar with the atmosphere of our server to participate in the handling of conflicts and try to resolve issues without appealing to authority where possible. However we ask not to be rude about it and to avoid “backseat moderation”: making authoritative decisions about whether someone violated the rules and what punishment awaits them. If unsure, you can always ping or directly message a moderator.

If you disagree about a particular decision or request by a moderator, first please comply with the request, then feel free to talk to a moderator about it, possibly in direct messages. However do not try to message multiple moderators expecting different responses — that will not work. If you suspect a particular moderator isn’t acting in good faith, contact @mniip (mniip#9046).

CHANNELS

The channels here are grouped into sections:

• “Math Help” questions channels: for homework-type questions on various topics in mathematics.
• “Pre-University”, “Early University”, and “Advanced Mathematics”: these are segregated by topic, and are for more open-ended discussions on the respective topic.
• “General” social channels: for random (but civilized) discussion on various topics.

Please respect the topic of each channel.

BOTS

• @TeXit — renders mathematical formulas written in the LaTeX language. You can put LaTeX anywhere in your message surrounded by either $ $ or $$ $$, and the bot will render it for you. You can also query Wolfram|Alpha with ,wolf. For more info see ,help.
• @Tatsu — for stats and miscellanea (t!cat). See t!help.
• @Mathematics ModMail — you can DM this bot to report server issues to the moderation team. It will relay your message directly to the staff (much like a @Moderators ping, but more private), and we can respond to you once we’ve read your message. Just DM the bot the message you’d like to send us.

If you wish to experiment with the bots, instead of spamming any channel, do so in the #bots channel.

ROLES

Here are the most important roles. Using the button below you can manage the self-assigned roles and the roles you can apply for. Alternatively, you can also use the /roles command anywhere on the server at any time. Other roles are assigned by staff members.

• @Helpers — these are people who have volunteered to help others with math around the server. If you asked a question in a Math Help channel and you haven’t received a response for 15 minutes, you can ping this role ONCE. Anyone can be a helper, and you can assign this role using the button below.
• @Helpful — people who have consistently contributed to helping users in Math Help channels.
• @ℌonorable — these are people who have consistently demonstrated courtesy, reasonability, and helpfulness around the server; and whom we consider to be exemplary members of our community.
• @Moderators — community members who have been trusted with the responsibility of upkeeping our rules and maintaining order on the server.
• @studying! — blocks access to social channels to help you remove distractions and concentrate on your work. Use the button below to self-assign this role.
• @Talks — be notified about the various talks and seminars conducted by our users. Use the button below to self-assign this role. Event organization happens in #events, message a moderator if you’d like to present!
• @Pre-University Math — people who are studying mathematics seen during secondary school such as algebra, geometry, or trigonometry. Use the button below to self-assign this role.
• @Undergraduate Math — people who are studying topics seen by a typical mathematics major such as linear algebra, differential equations, real analysis, or group theory. Use the button below to self-assign this role.
• @Postgraduate Math — people who are studying mathematics beyond a typical undergraduate mathematics degree. You can use the button below to apply for this role; the application will ask you to briefly list your research interests.
• The @Undergraduate Math and @Postgraduate Math roles aren’t necessarily tied to being enrolled in a program or having degrees, but rather whether you are doing mathematics at the indicated level.
• @Very cool ppl — nitro boosters.

There’s supposed to be a button here but it’s actually in the Discord channel.