\label{Spreadsheet_Problem_Weight}
Problem weight\index{problem weight}\index{weight, problem} is set on
the \textbf{Parm} screen. The \textbf{weight} of the problem is a
parameter that is attached to the problem that \emph{can} be used by
the spreadsheet to calculate the points a student will receive for a
problem.

The default spreadsheet uses the ``weight'' parameter as the number of
points a student will receive for completing a problem
correctly. Custom spreadsheets can use many parameters to compute the
points a student will receive, such as \emph{status} (completed, not
solved, excused, etc.), \emph{partial credit}, \emph{number of tries},
etc., or \textbf{weight} as just another parameter.

Thus, for a given course, the true effect of the \textbf{weight}
parameter can only be understood in the context of the spreadsheet the
course is using to determine the number of points a student will
receive for a given problem. (Using \textbf{weight} as part of the
spreadsheet calculation can provide an easy way to manipulate how the
problem distributes points without needing to edit the spreadsheet
directly.)