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I posted a question and got a very good response. However, the response made me wish I had asked the question in a slightly different way. This would have been a very small change - basically adding one line at the end of the question asking what the answer would be if one of my assumptions were reversed. What's the best way to ask this slightly different question?

Should I:

  • Edit the original question?
  • Comment on the original question?
  • Comment on the answer that prompted the modified question?
  • Post a new question?
  • Something else?
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2 Answers 2

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The third solution--commenting on the answer--is probably the better choice. If, say, this is just a matter of altering initial conditions or hypotheses to see what happens, the answerer could easily reply in a comment (for a short response) or as an edit to his reply (for a longer discussion).

If existing response(s) are suggestive of a lack of information or precision in your question, update your question; answerers will be able to update their responses as well.

In case the question is really altered, it should be better to start a new thread with proper reference to the original one, but see What to do when the original question is transformed considerably after getting clarification? I do not think this applies in the present case.

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The reply you got to the question implicitly assumes a formulation of the problem that does not comport with the information you gave. Comments are appropriate for carrying out discussions aimed at clarifying the problem so that you (the asker) and potential respondents have a shared understanding of it. This process should culminate in edits to the question that clarify it, without appreciably changing it.

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