Return to Significant_Figures.tex CVS log

Up to [LON-CAPA] / loncom / html / adm / help / tex

Annotation of loncom/html/adm/help/tex/Significant_Figures.tex, revision 1.7

1.2       bowersj2    1: \label{Significant_Figures}
1.7     ! lira        2: A \textbf{significant figures} specification is an optional setting that 
        !             3: tells LON-CAPA how many significant
        !             4: figures there are required for the answer, as either a single number, e.g. 3, or a range of
        !             5: acceptable values, expressed as \textbf{min,max}. The significant figures field can be omitted if you do 
        !             6: not want to constrain the number of significant digits in the student answers.
        !             7: 
        !             8: The system will check to
        !             9: ensure that the student's answer contains the required significant digits,
1.4       lira       10: useful in many scientific calculations. For example, if the computer answer is {}``1.3'',
1.6       raeburn    11: and the problem requests three significant digits, specified by (entered without quotes) 
1.4       lira       12: {}``3'',  the system will require the students to type {}``1.30'',
1.1       bowersj2   13: even though numerically, {}``1.3'' and {}``1.30'' are the same. A significant
1.4       lira       14: figure specification of (entered without quotes) {}``3,4'' means both {}``1.30'' and {}``1.300''
1.7     ! lira       15: are acceptable. 
        !            16: 
        !            17: Authors should be clear in the problem statements to tell students the required
        !            18: number or range of significant figures. If the student response does not contain 
        !            19: the correct number of significant digits, the LON-CAPA response will 
        !            20: tell students to increase or decrease the digits in their response, but it will not
        !            21: tell them how many digits to use. These responses do not use up
        !            22: the number of trials, but such responses are frustrating for students. If you would like to ensure
        !            23: that at least three significant digits are used, then a specification such as 3,15
        !            24: ensures at least three digits are used, but will quietly accept up to 15.
1.4       lira       25: 
1.7     ! lira       26: Note that care must be used when using formatted computer answers together with 
        !            27: a significant digit specification.
        !            28: You must ensure that the formatted answer provides enough significant digits.
1.4       lira       29: To test the formatted answer, LON-CAPA converts the computer answer,
                     30: as generated in the script block, according to the
1.7     ! lira       31: format attribute in the numericalresponse tag, e.g. 3f.
1.4       lira       32: Then LON-CAPA separately applies that number of significant
                     33: figures to the computer answer, and if that result
                     34: falls outside the range specified in the significant digit parameter, 
1.7     ! lira       35: it "grades" the computer answer as SIG\_FAIL (i.e., not correct). 
1.4       lira       36: It is a good idea to use the problem testing environment to test plenty of different
                     37: randomizations to make sure that your format and sig digits parameters are compatible.
1.7     ! lira       38: This helps ensure that the formatted answer has enough significant digits.
1.4       lira       39: