[LON-CAPA-admin] Avoidance of Tolerance Range/ Sig figures errors?

[Ray Batchelor]

Looks to me like the problem requires an answer with exactly 3 sig figs, but
the computers answer (which might be generated algorithmically) has only two
sig figs in this particular instance.  If you are the author, you might
change that by specifying 2E format for the answer display.
Alternatively, you 'might' ensure that the answers do not ever come out to
be an exact multiple (of 1E7, in this case).

If you are not the author, then you might, as course coordinator, change the
minimum sig figs allowed to be less than 3.



On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 10:44 AM, Eric Harvey/FS/VCU <teharvey at vcu.edu>wrote:

>
> A question from one of our instructors...
>
> "Description: Over the 2-3 years I have been using LON-CAPA I have not been
> able to figure out the following error that comes up periodically:
> ERROR: Computer's answer is incorrect ("280000000"). It is likely that the
> tolerance range [279972000, 280028000] or significant figures [3s, 3s] need
> to be adjusted. As far as I can tell the problem works appropriately, but it
> plants bombs and floods my e-mail.  Can you explain how to avoid this error?
> "
>
> I'm seeing a couple of posts to the mailing list stating that it is "one of
> lon-capa's oldest bugs", but I don't really see the explanation she needs.
> Any help on how to avoid the error would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Eric Harvey
> VCU Learning Systems




-- 
Raymond J. Batchelor, Ph.D.
Department of Chemistry
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, BC
Canada
V5A 1S8
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