# Help Center > Asking

## What topics can I ask about here?

Mathematics Stack Exchange is for people studying mathematics at any level and professionals in related fields. We welcome questions about:

• Understanding mathematical concepts and theorems
• Hints on mathematical problems (but please read our FAQ about homework questions)
• History and development of mathematics
• Solving mathematical puzzles
• Software that mathematicians use (except Mathematica, which has its own Stack Exchange site)

Before you ask, however, maybe you want to peruse our list of common math questions?

There are certain subjects that, while still on-topic here, might be better addressed by one of our sister sites:

And some kinds of questions are considered off-topic:

• Physics, engineering and financial questions — it is fine to ask about the mathematical models and techniques, but concepts of the field would be off-topic. You should instead ask those questions at other Stack Exchange sites such as:
• Typesetting equations — you can read our guideline for writing equations on this site, or visit the TeX - LaTeX Stack Exchange for questions about TeX and friends
• Numerology
• Questions about the site itself — please ask on meta instead

For more help, see "What types of questions should I avoid asking?"

Our interface supports the use of MathJax by using a LaTeX-like syntax after enclosing mathematics expressions in dollar signs $[put math expression here]$. For a quick tutorial and command reference, please see this FAQ item; see also this Meta discussion for some additional pointers and references.

If you want to get more information about the site, you can browse our detailed list of FAQ on meta.

Please look around to see if your question has been asked before. It’s also OK to ask and answer your own question.

If your question is not specifically on-topic for Mathematics Stack Exchange, it may be on topic for another Stack Exchange site. If no site currently exists that will accept your question, you may commit to or propose a new site at Area51, the place where new Stack Exchange communities are democratically created.