8.29. Numerical Input Problem¶

8.29.3.1. Use the Simple Editor to Create a Numerical Input Problem¶

To the simple editor to create a numerical input problem, follow these steps.

1. In the unit where you want to create the problem, under Add New Component select Problem.

2. Select one of the two numerical input problem templates.

   • From the list of Common Problem Types, select Numerical Input.

   • From the list of Common Problems with Hints and Feedback, select Numerical Input with Hints and Feedback. For more information, see Use Feedback in a Numerical Input Problems.

     Studio adds the problem to the unit.

3. Select Edit. The simple editor opens.

4. Replace the sample problem text with your own text.

5. Determine the text that describes the question you want learners to answer, and surround that text with two pairs of angle brackets (>>question<<). This text identifies the question for screen readers, reports, and Insights.

6. To identify the problem’s answer, select the answer text and then select Numerical Input from the toolbar. An equals sign appears next to the answer.

7. Optionally, specify a margin of error, or tolerance. You can specify a percentage, number, or range.

   • To specify a percentage on either side of the correct answer, after the answer add +-{number}%. For example, to include a 2% tolerance, add +-2%.
   • To specify a number on either side of the correct answer, after the answer add +-{number}. For example, to include a tolerance of 5, add +-5.
   • To specify a range, you provide the starting and ending values separated by a comma and then surround the range with brackets [] or parentheses (). A bracket includes the number next to it in the range, and a parenthesis excludes the number from the range. For example, if you specify [5,8), correct answers can be 5, 6, and 7, but not 8. Likewise, if you specify (5,8], correct answers can be 6, 7, and 8, but not 5.

8. To provide an explanation, select the explanation text and then select Explanation from the toolbar. [explanation] appears before and after the explanation text.

9. Select Settings and provide an identifying Display Name for the problem.

10. Define additional settings for the problem. For more information, see Problem Settings.

11. Select Save.

For the first example problem illustrated above, the text in the problem component appears as follows.

>>What base is the decimal numeral system in?<<

= 10

[explanation]
The decimal numeral system is base ten.
[explanation]

8.29.3.2. Use the Advanced Editor to Create a Numerical Input Problem¶

For a more complex problem, such as the one that follows, you use the advanced editor.

1. Follow the steps for creating the problem in the simple editor.
2. Select Advanced Editor, and then edit the XML to add the tags and attributes you want. An example follows.

Problem Code:

<problem>
  <p><b>Example Problem</b></p>

<legend>What base is the decimal numeral system in?</legend>
    <numericalresponse answer="10">
        <formulaequationinput label="What base is the decimal numeral system in?"/>
    </numericalresponse>

  <legend>What is the value of the standard gravity constant <i>g</i>, measured in m/s<sup>2</sup>? Give your answer to at least two decimal places.</legend>
  <numericalresponse answer="9.80665">
    <responseparam type="tolerance" default="0.01" />
    <formulaequationinput label="Give your answer to at least two decimal places"/>
  </numericalresponse>

<!-- The following lines use Python script spacing. Make sure it is not indented when you add it to the problem component. -->
<script type="loncapa/python">
computed_response = math.sqrt(math.fsum([math.pow(math.pi,2), math.pow(math.e,2)]))
</script>

<legend>What is the distance in the plane between the points (pi, 0) and (0, e)? You can type math.</legend>
    <numericalresponse answer="$computed_response">
        <responseparam type="tolerance" default="0.0001" />
        <formulaequationinput label="What is the distance in the plane between the points (pi, 0) and (0, e)?"/>
    </numericalresponse>
<solution>
  <div class="detailed-solution">
    <p>Explanation</p>
    <p>The decimal numerical system is base ten.</p>
    <p>The standard gravity constant is defined to be precisely 9.80665 m/s<sup>2</sup>.
    This is 9.80 to two decimal places. Entering 9.8 also works.</p>
    <p>By the distance formula, the distance between two points in the plane is
       the square root of the sum of the squares of the differences of each coordinate.
      Even though an exact numerical value is checked in this case, the
      easiest way to enter this answer is to type
      <code>sqrt(pi^2+e^2)</code> into the editor.
      Other answers like <code>sqrt((pi-0)^2+(0-e)^2)</code> also work.
    </p>
  </div>
</solution>
</problem>

8.29.4.1. Configure Feedback in the Simple Editor¶

In the simple editor, you configure answer feedback with the following syntax. When you create a new numerical input problem, select the template Numerical Input with Hints and Feedback. This template has example feedback syntax that you can replace.

= Numerical Answer {{Feedback for the correct answer.}}

For example, the following problem has feedback for each possible answer.

>>What is the arithmetic mean for the following set of numbers?
  (1, 5, 6, 3, 5)<<

= 4 {{The mean for this set of numbers is 20 / 5 which equals 4.}}

8.29.4.2. Configure Feedback in the Advanced Editor¶

In the advanced editor, you configure answer feedback with the following syntax.

<numericalresponse answer="Correct Answer">
  <formulaequationinput label="Question" />
  <correcthint>
    Feedback for the correct answer.
  </correcthint>
</numericalresponse>

For example, the following problem has feedback for the correct answer.

<numericalresponse answer="4">
  <formulaequationinput label="What is the arithmetic mean for the following
    set of numbers? (1, 5, 6, 3, 5)" />
  <correcthint>
    The mean for this set of numbers is 20 / 5 which equals 4.
  </correcthint>
</numericalresponse>

8.29.4.3. Customize Feedback Labels¶

By default, the feedback label for correct answers is Correct . If you do not define a feedback label, learners see this term when they submit a correct answer, as in the following example.

You can configure the problem to override the default labels. For example, you can configure a custom label for the answer.

= 4 {{Label::Feedback}}

= 4 {{Good Job::The mean for this set of numbers is 20 / 5 which equals 4.}}

<correcthint label="Custom Label">
  Feedback
</correcthint>

<correcthint label="Good Job">
  The mean for this set of numbers is 20 / 5 which equals 4.
</correcthint>

8.29.5.1. Configure Hints in the Simple Editor¶

In the simple editor, you configure hints with the following syntax.

||Hint 1||
||Hint 2||
||Hint n||

For example, the following problem has two hints.

||A fruit is the fertilized ovary from a flower.||
||A fruit contains seeds of the plant.||

8.29.5.2. Configure Hints in the Advanced Editor¶

In the advanced editor, you configure each hint in the <hint> element within the <demandhint> element.

<demandhint>
  <hint>Hint 1</hint>
  <hint>Hint 2</hint>
  <hint>Hint 3</hint>
</demandhint>

For example, the following XML shows two hints.

<demandhint>
  <hint>A fruit is the fertilized ovary from a flower.</hint>
  <hint>A fruit contains seeds of the plant.</hint>
</demandhint>

8.29.6.1. Identifying Close Answers¶

You can configure a numerical input problem so that answers that are close to the correct answer receive partial credit.

You configure the tolerance for incorrect answers. Learners receive partial credit for close answers based on the tolerance. By default, the tolerance is multiplied by 2 and the following rules are applied.

• An answer within the tolerance receives 100% of the points for the problem.
• An answer within or equal to 2x of the tolerance receives 50%.
• An answer more than 2x the outside of the tolerance receives 0%.

You can optionally specify a different multiplier for the tolerance. For example, you could set the multiplier to 3. In this case, the following rules apply.

• An answer within the tolerance receives 100% of the points for the problem.
• An answer within or equal to 3x of the tolerance receives 50%.
• An answer more than 3x outside of the tolerance receives 0%.

<numericalresponse answer="9.3*10^7" partial_credit="close">
  <formulaequationinput label="How many miles away from Earth is the sun?
    Use scientific notation to answer." />
  <responseparam type="tolerance" default="1%" partial_range="3"/>
</numericalresponse>

8.29.6.2. Awarding Partial Credit for Answers in a List¶

For some numerical input problems, mistakes do not help a learner arrive at the correct answer. For example, a small mistake can lead to negative instead of positive results, or to an answer that is off by a square root or numerical factor.

For these types of problems, you can configure a list of wrong answers that receive partial credit. Learners who submit answers that are on the list receive 50% of the problem’s points.

<numericalresponse answer="93*10^7" partial_credit="list">
  <formulaequationinput label="How many miles away from Earth is the sun?
    Use scientific notation to answer." />
  <responseparam partial_answers="150*10^6"/>
</numericalresponse>

8.29.8.1. Templates¶

The following templates represent problems with and without a decimal or percentage tolerance.

<problem>

  <legend>TEXT OF PROBLEM</legend>
  <numericalresponse answer="ANSWER (NUMBER)">
    <formulaequationinput label="TEXT OF PROBLEM"/>
    <correcthint>
      Feedback for the correct answer.
    </correcthint>
  </numericalresponse>
  <solution>
    <div class="detailed-solution">
      <p>TEXT OF SOLUTION</p>
    </div>
  </solution>
</problem>

<problem>

  <legend>TEXT OF PROBLEM</legend>
  <numericalresponse answer="ANSWER (NUMBER)">
    <responseparam type="tolerance" default="NUMBER (DECIMAL, e.g., .02)" />
    <formulaequationinput label="TEXT OF PROBLEM"/>
    <correcthint>
      Feedback for the correct answer.
    </correcthint>
  </numericalresponse>

  <solution>
    <div class="detailed-solution">
      <p>TEXT OF SOLUTION</p>
    </div>
  </solution>
</problem>

<problem>

  <legend>TEXT OF PROBLEM</legend>
  <numericalresponse answer="ANSWER (NUMBER)">
    <responseparam type="tolerance" default="NUMBER (PERCENTAGE, e.g., 3%)" />
    <formulaequationinput label="TEXT OF PROBLEM"/>
    <correcthint>
      Feedback for the correct answer.
    </correcthint>
  </numericalresponse>

  <solution>
    <div class="detailed-solution">
      <p>TEXT OF SOLUTION</p>
    </div>
  </solution>
  </problem>

<problem>

<!-- The following lines use Python script spacing. Make sure it is not indented when you add it to the problem component. -->
<script type="loncapa/python">
computed_response = math.sqrt(math.fsum([math.pow(math.pi,2), math.pow(math.e,2)]))
</script>

  <legend>TEXT OF PROBLEM</legend>
  <numericalresponse answer="$computed_response">
    <responseparam type="tolerance" default="0.0001" />
    <formulaequationinput label="TEXT OF PROBLEM"/>
    <correcthint>
      Feedback for the correct answer.
    </correcthint>
  </numericalresponse>

  <solution>
    <div class="detailed-solution">
      <p>TEXT OF SOLUTION</p>
    </div>
  </solution>
</problem>

8.29.8.2. Tags¶

• <numericalresponse> (required): Specifies that the problem is a numerical input problem.
• <formulaequationinput /> (required): Provides a response field where the learner enters a response.
• <correcthint> (optional): Specifies feedback for the correct answer.
• <responseparam> (optional): Specifies a tolerance, or margin of error, for an answer. Also specifies a partial credit tolerance multiplier.
• <script> (optional)

Tag: <numericalresponse>

Specifies that the problem is a numerical input problem. The <numericalresponse> tag is similar to the <formularesponse> tag, but the <numericalresponse> tag does not allow unspecified variables.

Attributes

Attribute	Description
answer (required)	The correct answer to the problem, given as a mathematical expression.
partial_credit (optional)	Specifies the type of partial credit given. close, list, or a combination of both in any order separated by a comma (,).

Note

If you include a variable name preceded with a dollar sign ($) in the problem, you can include a script in the problem that computes the expression in terms of that variable.

The grader evaluates the answer that you provide and the learner’s response in the same way. The grader also automatically simplifies any numeric expressions that you or a learner provides. Answers can include simple expressions such as “0.3” and “42”, or more complex expressions such as “1/3” and “sin(pi/5)”.

Children

• <responseparam>
• <formulaequationinput>
• <correcthint>

Tag: <formulaequationinput>

Creates a response field in the LMS where learners enter a response.

Attributes

Attribute	Description
label (required)	Specifies the name of the response field.
size (optional)	Defines the width, in characters, of the response field in the LMS.

Children

(none)

Tag: <responseparam>

Specifies a tolerance, or margin of error, for an answer.

Attributes

Attribute	Description
type (optional)	“tolerance”: Defines a tolerance for a number.
default (optional)	A number or a percentage specifying a numerical or percent tolerance.
partial_range (optional)	For partial credit problems of type close, a multiplier for the tolerance. Default is 2.
partial_answers (optional)	For partial credit problems of type list, a comma-separated list of values that are to receive 50% credit.

Children

(none)

Tag: <correcthint>

Specifies a hint for the correct answer.

Tag: <script>

Specifies a script that the grader uses to evaluate a learner’s response. A problem behaves as if all of the code in all of the script tags were in a single script tag. Specifically, any variables that are used in multiple <script> tags share a namespace and can be overridden.

As with all Python, indentation matters, even though the code is embedded in XML.

Attributes

Attribute	Description
type (required)	Must be set to “loncapa/python”.

Children

(none)

Tag: <demandhint>

Specifies hints available to the learner.

Children

<hint>

Tag: <hint>

Specifies a hint available to the learner.

Children

(none)