Numeric value or symbolic expression answer type

Specify the number of terms for the correct answer (if more than one)

One term for correct answer
By default, the number of terms that the student needs to solve for is 1. If the correct answer has one term, you can leave the check box blank for Correct answer has.
Two or more terms for correct answer
If the answer requires more than one term, select the check box for Correct answer has and then select the down arrow to choose the number of terms required. The answer box changes to display correct answer boxes for the number of terms you set, labeled Correct Answer Term 1, Correct Answer Term 2, and so on.

Add solve for, units, pre-text, or post-text (Optional)

Select the add solve for link to enter text or a mathematical expression that will appear before "=", such as "m , x". The equals sign is supplied for the answer—you don't have to enter it.
Choose the add units link to enter a unit as text or an expression that will appear after the answer, such as "meters". (If you want students to enter both value and units as an answer, use the numeric value with units answer type.)
Select the add pre-text link to enter text, like a sentence or sentence fragment, to appear before the answer. For terms like "sum =" it's easier to use the add solve for option, as described above.
Choose the add post-text link to enter text to appear after the answer.

Set answer grading to symbolic vs. numeric

If you want students to provide their answer in symbolic form, select the Grade answer as symbolic check box. Otherwise, only numeric answers will be graded as correct for this question.

If you choose "Grade answer as symbolic":

Enter an appropriate answer instruction for students, whether in the Instructions text box or in the question content Text box.
This part setting takes precedence over the Symbolicable item setting, which allows instructors to choose whether to grade an item as either numeric values or symbolic expressions.
Students who enter a numeric equivalent of the symbolic answer will be penalized.
If students enter an equivalent symbolic answer when a numeric value is expected: Students do not lose an answer attempt and are asked to enter the numeric value.

Require phasor notation for answers (Engineering)

Phasors are used in electrical engineering content. When a student is asked to enter the answer in complex form, the student is free to use either rectangular form or polar/phasor form. To require that students enter only phasor notation in answers, you must select both this answer setting and the Use Complex Computation item setting, as described below.

Choose the Require Phasor Notation check box in the Answer area.
Choose Item Settings from the top toolbar of the Edit Item window.
Select the Use Complex Computation check box.
To represent phase angles in degrees instead of radians:
Select the Use Degrees checkbox. Later, add instructions in the item content for students to answer questions in degrees, not radians. (The default expectation in Mastering is radians.)
Select OK.

To code a complex number in polar/phasor form as an answer:

Enter cis.
For example, to code a magnitude of 20 and a phase angle of 30, enter 20*cis(30).

Set acceptable variation or rounding error (tolerance) and rounding message

For numeric answers, student answers are considered correct if they match the coded answer to the specified grading tolerance. In general, you can accept the default tolerance value of 2%.

To change the grading tolerance —
Specify another value in the box for Acceptable variation or rounding error. For more information on grading tolerance, see Significant figures and tolerance.
To show the rounding message to students —
Select the Show additional rounding message... check box when the student response from the current part is used for a calculation of a subsequent part.
For example, the student calculates a response for Part A. The response from part A is needed in the calculation of Part B. The student should use the full precision number from Part A in the Part B calculation.
The additional rounding messages that displays to students is:
"If you need this result for any later calculation in this item, keep all the digits and round as the final step before submitting your answer."
For more details, see How significant figures and tolerance work in Mastering and/or Guidelines for setting significant figures and tolerance.

Add the correct answer

Enter the correct value in the Correct Answer box.
How to enter infix for symbolic math answers
See Enter symbolic expression answers.
To render symbolic expression answers
Select the Preview link to view the rendered expression answer in a different box.
Mastering Physics and Mastering Engineering vector notation
You must code vector answer values using infix, with subscripts using tags that end in either vec or evec. For physics, F_k_vec is the only acceptable notation for vectors with subscript answer values. For engineering, F_k_evec is the only acceptable notation for vectors with subscript answer values.
Set the answer format (display of significant figures).
Numeric answers are displayed to 3 significant figures, without using scientific notation for values like 200. Mastering evaluates the student answer against the truncated formatted correct answer.
When this box is blank, the default value of 3 significant figures is in effect; only enter a value if you want to change the default value. More information about significant figures
Select either add an additional correct answer or add an additional correct answer set and enter the additional correct answer(s).

Wrong-answer feedback: Add/delete (Optional)

Although optional, it is recommended that you provide wrong-answer feedback. Wrong-answer feedback can help students learn from their mistakes or incorrect choices.
Mastering provides the initial feedback "Incorrect; Try Again", followed by the follow-up text.
Example of wrong-answer feedback in student view (Standard View)
If the correct answer contains more than one term, set a single wrong answer response for each incorrect answer combination. Select add response as needed.
Example of numeric value or expression wrong-answer feedback area in the Simple Editor
Important: Before evaluation, wrong answer responses truncate to the default 3 significant figures—regardless of the significant figures format selected for the correct answer. To reset the answer format in wrong answer responses, see step 3 below.

Add wrong answer-feedback for the numeric value or symbolic expression answer type:

Select the add wrong-answer feedback link.
Enter an answer for each term in the column "If student gives this answer".
Entering symbolic math as an incorrect answer — See Enter symbolic expression answers.
To render symbolic expression in an incorrect answer — Select the Preview link to view the rendered expression answer in a different box.
For each wrong answer term, accept or change the default 2.00% Tolerance (acceptable variation or rounding error) that will trigger the associated wrong answer feedback. When the Format box is blank, the default value of 3 significant figures is in effect. You only need to enter a format if you want to change this default.
Tip: To determine the upper and lower bounds of the tolerance threshold that will trigger the wrong answer response, use value/(1-0.01*threshold %) for the upper bound and value*(1-0.01*threshold %) for the lower bound, where the bounds are exclusive.
Enter your wrong answer feedback in the Show this response box, using your keyboard and options from the editing toolbar and menus.
Entering TeX in wrong answer feedback —
Enter the TeX code, select it, and then choose TeX (or choose TeX and then enter your TeX). The unrendered TeX appears in a yellow box.
Add a link to a hint in the wrong answer response.
Select add response to generate additional rows for as many wrong answers and associated wrong-answer feedback as you need.
To reorder wrong-answer responses — Select the Move Up or Move Down arrows to reorder the wrong answers and associated feedback.
To delete wrong-answer responses — Choose Delete choice in the row for the response.
To check your edits without saving, select Validate (from the top toolbar) to verify the XML.
To save your edits, select Save (from the top toolbar) or the Save & Preview link (top right). Do NOT press Ctrl+S (Windows) or Command-S (Mac OS).
Test the student experience of wrong-answer feedback by submitting different incorrect answers in the saved item. (Optional)

To delete wrong answer feedback — Select Delete on the toolbar for the response.

Follow-up text: Add/delete (Optional)

Follow-up text appears after a student completes a part question, whether the student answers correctly, exhausts all answer attempts, or requests the answer. Follow-up text can reinforce learning by providing more information or an interpretation of the answer the student just submitted.

Select the add follow-up text link.
Enter your answer feedback, using your keyboard and options from the editing toolbar and menus.

To delete follow-up text — Select the remove follow-up link.