$\color{blue}{x^2}$ produces $\color{blue}{x^2}$

Your question should be directed to ux.stackexchange.com

I may end up posting there as well, but I am specifically interested in color in the context of mathematical exposition. The question is suitable for this site.

@rschwieb Similar questions about mathematical typesetting tools and representing mathematics visually have been well-received here (math.stackexchange.com/questions/57763/…, math.stackexchange.com/questions/733754/…), what makes this one different?

If you’re familiar with tensor categories, arxiv.org/pdf/1612.02762.pdf is a great example of color making some difficult computation much more intuitive. I’m not sure if there are similar tools in other fields, though - I’ve never seen anything quite like it.

@NicoA: Both of these questions are over 5 years old. The site changed a lot in the course of those years, and not everything that was widely accepted then is acceptable now.

@NicoA I did not say "there do not exist other questions like yours on this site" (anyhow, the existence of such questions is not justification to always and forever accept such questions). What I am saying is "there is a stackexchange full of professionals who are very good at addressing the subject 'I'm just as interested in resources on using color effectively rather than just splashing it around, and guidelines for ensuring my writing remains friendly to the color blind.'. The poster should post a question there with the tag [color-blindness]

Or, as is more likely, the poseter should look for existing resources on the topic, which is definitely an old subject, probably covered dozens of places online. The fact color is being used in mathematical exposition does not make it on-topic here, and AFAICT math has no bearing on the real question.

@rschwieb, your request is noted. Do feel free to post it there yourself if I don't get around to it.

Personally I don't see why using color in mathematics is any different from any other science, but let's say I disregard my own opinion. The people who are best-suited to answer the question are probably cognitive scientists or UX designers, and maybe secondarily educators/writers. All of these have their own stackexchanges, and are better informed as to the answer. The fact that the answer is to be applied in mathematics is just an incidental part, not an integral part, of the question.

I asked the question, and I know what is an incidental part of it. It's rude to put words in people's mouths, and illiterate to do it incorrectly.

Why was this question closed? I find it both very interesting as well as very relevant to mathematical practice, all the more with the use of colour popping up more and more frequently in mathematics and physics papers lately. [1/3]

Regarding usage of colour in different areas, it does vary a lot. For example, colours tend to be very important in biology (to the extent that printing a paper in black and white sometimes makes it quite hard to digest (or so am I told by a biologist)). Mathematics is different: while you can e.g. use colour to track terms in a manipulation, removing them still leaves something not all that harder to understand. (More generally, I think pictures tend to come up less often in pure mathematics than they do in more applied fields) [2/3]

Lastly, the inclusivity aspect of the question is a complex one and definitely very worth of discussion (from a mathematical point of view, as well). When using colour in mathematical writing, I often find myself worrying about whether it is a central aspect of the exposition (and in particular if removing it would hamper understanding). Personally, I would absolutely love to learn about colour-blindness inclusivity guidelines in mathematics writing :) [3/3]

I have reopened this question in light of the interest shown by some other users and given the unilateral close vote by another moderator. Please let us keep conversation civil.

@SarahGriffith I invite you to present an actual argument for the significance of mathematics (and not all other writing).

@rschwieb Please leave discussions for meta. I'll move the relevant discussion to a chat now.

@PedroTamaroff Friendly notification: flags were raised and went network-wide.

Totally not a bad question

@AkivaWeinberger funny you say that while also explaining that there are two questions and there are a lot of resources to be found.

Alright it might not be a bad question, just one not suitable for the site.

There's a difference between saying "not focused" and closing without explanation, and explaining why it's two questions

and, say, recommending an edit to focus on one of them

@AkivaWeinberger so you agree with the closure and just think it should have been better explained?

There is also explanation provided in earlier conversation.

Likely it would also need more focus.

I don't think it's a technical question, it's a pedagogical one

(I know it's intended for a research paper and not a classroom, but still)

A question of the format "please tell me about x" is usually just no suitable.

It's a resource request

Hence the tag, "reference request"

@AkivaWeinberger Then Math Educators SE would be a better home for the question.

@AkivaWeinberger how do you know that actually? It is not mentioned in the question.

You know, I don't disagree

@quid Personal communication

@AkivaWeinberger that's of course the way to provide this information.

"How should I use color in a technical document?" is, I think, an excellent question. I just don't think that it is a mathematical question, even if that technical document is a mathematical document.

I concede there

Yeah

I also don't think that a group of mathematicians is the best group to answer that question---experts on UI design, typesetting, document design, and/or pedagogy would be more qualified to answer the question, depending on the precise goals. There are other SE sites which are much better suited to answer any of those questions.

Could you be more specific?

Which SE sites in particular

How do you mean?

@AkivaWeinberger some were mentioned already

Math Educators if it is about pedagogy, TeX it is about typesetting

Graphic Design might be relevant.

possibly ux.stackexchange.com

Heck, even Academia SE might be a better fit, if the underlying question is about what a journal might prefer.

@Mast This comment is unclear and confusing

@AkivaWeinberger it means that some comments in the conversation have been flagged as "rude"; it does not indentify which ones.

It is informational.

By a user that was alerted to the flags presumably.

I had edited a comment based on this.

I am not sure I got what or all that was found objectionable.

If you like, it's a "heads up" for a moderator that was involved to signal that somebody found something objectionable. It's balancing act how specific one wants to be there.

@Théo of course mathematics is not at all uniform either regarding this. There will be a difference between writing about numerics of heat equations and algebraic topology and formal languages. That is, we see a lack of focus.

In any case. The fact that it got 24 upvotes (and an incredibly useful answer!) means that people wanted it here.

I understand that, generally, this site only tolerates questions that are very specific and clearly about math. But most questions that break the rules simply get ignored, and don't need mods to shut them down.