WeBWork Problem Authoring and Development 3

Question 1

Which file extension is used for WeBWork PG problem files?

Accepted Answer

.pg

Answer

WeBWork problem files use the .pg extension, which stands for Problem Generator, the language used to write them.

Question 2

What is the purpose of `loadMacros()` at the top of a PG file?

Accepted Answer

To include reusable PG macro libraries that provide helper functions and features

Answer

loadMacros() imports PG library files (.pl macros) that provide functions for answer checking, graph generation, formatting, and other problem features.

Question 3

How can a WeBWork problem author dynamically generate a mathematical graph inside a PG problem?

Accepted Answer

Using init_graph() and related functions from PGgraphmacros.pl

Answer

PGgraphmacros.pl provides functions like init_graph(), plot_functions(), and insertGraph() to dynamically generate mathematical graphs server-side within problems.

Question 4

What does the `Compute()` function do in a WeBWork PG problem?

Accepted Answer

It creates a MathObject by evaluating a string expression in the current Context

Answer

Compute('expression') parses a mathematical string in the current Context and creates the appropriate MathObject (formula, number, etc.) for answer comparison.

Question 5

How does WeBWork evaluate whether a student's algebraic formula answer is correct?

Accepted Answer

It evaluates both expressions at multiple numerical points to check mathematical equivalence

Answer

WeBWork's formula answer checker evaluates both the student's and correct answer at several random numerical points, checking mathematical equivalence rather than syntactic equality.

WeBWork Practice Test

WeBWork Practice Test

WeBWork Problem Authoring and Development 3