I don't think there is anything wrong or aggressive in asking him to review the class notes. Andy was completely right: If this person was in some class where this was assigned then presumably the person has received some level of instruction on the topic. He needs to review what he learned in class and make an honest effort to at least start solving the problem himself.

For example, if you take a class in carpentry and learn how to cut wood, hammer nails, drill screws, check that everything is level and waterproof and are then given an assignment to build a doghouse, would it make sense to go to a carpentry forum and ask "How do I build a doghouse?" That's what the carpentry class was for and if you learned anything in the class then you should be able to get a good start on the project all by yourself with what you learned in the class. Of course, if you run into a problem on how to connect the roof to the walls while making sure it is still waterproof then, sure, go to the carpentry forum, explain what you've done and ask them for help on the part that you are having trouble with. But don't ask them a general question of how to build the whole doghouse.

That's what I'm getting at here. I hope it is clear what the differences is between asking such a vague and open question that doesn't show the person has made any effort himself and posting a message that demonstrates that the person has some idea about the topic and has made some level of effort himself. If no effort or time has been spent on the problem by the person asking the question it's completely inappropriate to ask someone else to spend time answering the question.

Try first and if you fail then ask for help and let us know what you've already tried. We'll either help you fix your existing solution or point you in the right direction to solve the problem some other way. But we're not going to build the doghouse for anyone, especially if they haven't given us any reason to believe they've tried it themselves.

Regards,
Craig Steiner
8052.com Webmaster