Enter symbolic expression answers

Updated 30 Aug 2024

Use standard infix to code symbolic answers in the numeric value or symbolic answer type. Tip: Until you set grading to symbolic, such answers are numeric values by default.

To enter symbolic expression answers from your keyboard for math formats (subscript, exponent, fraction, etc.), Greek letter symbols, and functions for your discipline, see the following:

As you enter more complex expressions, consider the recognized operators and order of evaluation (described below) so that your correct and incorrect answers are interpreted by Mastering as you intend.

  • Standard arithmetic operators: +, -, *, /
  • The exponentiation operator (^). For example, 1 * 10^{-1} would be another way of coding 0.1.

ALWAYS use explicit multiplication signs and parentheses in your answers. For example, when coding the product of "a" and "(b+c)", the correct syntax is:

a*(b+c), not a(b+c)

The latter indicates that a is a function of b+c.

Consider Mastering’s order of evaluation as you code your symbolic answers:

  1. Most deeply nested terms in parentheses are evaluated first.
  2. Exponents are evaluated next.
    Exponents are always evaluated from right to left. For example, 3^2^2 is evaluated as 3^(2^2), but 3/2/2 is evaluated as (3/2)/2.
  3. Multiplication and division are evaluated next, from left to right.
  4. Addition and subtraction are evaluated last, from left to right.
  • Symbolic answers
    Mastering uses algebraic expression matching to determine whether student submissions match the correct answer. For example, if you code the correct answer as 0.5*m*v^2 and a student enters v*m*(v/2), the answer is graded as correct. For wrong answer responses, any expression a student submits that is algebraically equivalent to the wrong answer is also considered a match.
  • Numeric value answers
    If the answer is a number, Mastering matches any student-submitted number within the specified tolerance.

Answers for the numeric value or symbolic answer type can be a function of any or all of the randomized variables defined for the question.

A correct answer CANNOT be a combination of symbolic and randomized symbolic. For example, you cannot have a correct answer of type 2*sin(theta)*cos(n*theta), where theta is a fixed symbol and n is a randomized variable.

See also: Define numeric variables with functions