Note: You are currently viewing documentation for Moodle 2.0. Up-to-date documentation for the latest stable version is available here: Numerical question type.

Numerical question type: Difference between revisions

From MoodleDocs
mNo edit summary
No edit summary
Line 5: Line 5:
For example, if the answer is 30 with an accepted error of 5, then any number between 25 and 35 will be accepted as correct.
For example, if the answer is 30 with an accepted error of 5, then any number between 25 and 35 will be accepted as correct.


Numerical questions can also have case-insensitive non-numerical answers. This is useful whenever the answer for a numerical question is something like N/A, +inf, -inf, NaN etc.
Numerical questions, in Moodle 1.6 and earlier, can also have case-insensitive non-numerical answers. This is useful whenever the answer for a numerical question is something like N/A, +inf, -inf, NaN etc.


There is a numerical question type included in the [[Cloze | embedded / CLOZE]] question type which functions similarly to this one.
There is a numerical question type included in the [[Cloze | embedded / CLOZE]] question type which functions similarly to this one.

Revision as of 09:33, 22 October 2007



From the student perspective, a numerical question looks just like a short-answer question. The difference is that numerical answers are allowed to have an accepted error. This allows a continuous range of answers to be set.

For example, if the answer is 30 with an accepted error of 5, then any number between 25 and 35 will be accepted as correct.

Numerical questions, in Moodle 1.6 and earlier, can also have case-insensitive non-numerical answers. This is useful whenever the answer for a numerical question is something like N/A, +inf, -inf, NaN etc.

There is a numerical question type included in the embedded / CLOZE question type which functions similarly to this one.

Template:Moodle 1.7 From Moodle 1.7 onwards, questions may have different answers with different levels of accuracy. That lets you create questions like "What is a root of x^2 - 3x + 2?" and award different levels of credit depending on the accuracy of the answer.

In Moodle 1.7 text answers are no longer allowed - Short-Answer question type should be used instead.

Question set-up

  1. Give the question a descriptive name.
  2. Type the equation or numerical question for your students to solve. Moodle has a couple of text filters that allow you to type an equation and have it properly typeset when displayed. The Algebra filter is very good for writing common mathematical expressions in a simple way. More complicated expressions may be written using the TeX filter. Filters (administrator) contains information for administrators on how to enable these filters. Alternatively, select an image to display if you want to add a picture to the question.
  3. Enter the correct answer(s). 23.4 may also be written as 23,4 or 2.34E+1.
  4. Enter the accepted error, the range above or below the correct answer. For example, if the correct answer is 5, but you will accept 4 or 6 as answers, your accepted error is 1.
  5. Enter feedback for each acceptable answer. You can provide feedback for all wrong answers by using a wildcard i.e. the asterisk character (*) as an answer with grade none (Moodle 1.7 onwards only).
  6. Units can be specified and work to a degree. Unfortunately if the student answers with the right number but no unit he can get full points. And if he thinks of another unit and has the right number and no unit, he gets no differentiated feedback, just wrong. You must also give the conversion factor . So if your main answer was 5500 with unit W and you wanted to allow the unit kW you would have to specify the factor 0.001. If you wanted to allow Watt you would use the factor 1.
  7. Click Save changes to add the question to the category.

Tips and tricks

  • Remember that numerical questions in the Quiz module are slightly different than those in the Lesson module.