I didn't realize until you said it, but yes, I do this for technical discussions too. Sometimes I've volunteered to write up a description of an issue on which I'm knowledgeable but not an expert, and when it comes to write it up, I realize there are subtleties about the situation that I didn't understand. So I just make my best guess as to what I think the situation might be, and post it to people who are the experts, knowing they'll correct any mistakes. It is indeed a much more effective way of getting someone to explain something than going back and forth with questions.