Completing Mathematical and Scientific Assignments

Completing Mathematical and Scientific Assignments

This topic describes how to enter mathematical and scientific expressions for problems in your SkillsMax course.

  1. Overview of Mathematical and Scientific Expressions.
  2. Completing Mathematical Problems with Screen Readers.
  3. Entering Math Expressions in Assignments or the Calculator.
    1. Numbers
    2. Scientific Notation and Metric Affixes
    3. Constants
    4. Greek Letters
    5. Functions
  4. Entering Math Expressions in Course Discussions.
For course discussions, you use MathJax to format the text that you type, and the system then converts your text into a mathematical expression. For more information, see Entering Math Expressions in Course Discussions. 

Completing Mathematical Problems with Screen Readers

SkillsMax has designed its assessments to be accessible to screen readers. However, due to limitations with HTML and screen reader technology, math problems in SkillsMax courses may not be fully readable by default. To ensure these problems are accessible, you can use one of the following methods:

  • If both your browser and screen reader support MathML, set MathML as your preferred math renderer in MathJax.
  • Switch your screen reader from Interactive mode to Reading mode.

Note: The names of these modes may vary depending on your screen reader.

  • Interactive mode allows learners to navigate through interactive elements using the Tab key.
  • Reading mode enables learners to use the arrow keys to read through all content in a document, including non-interactive elements.

For additional guidance on ensuring your screen reader reads all available content, refer to the instructions for your specific screen reader.

Entering Math Expressions in Assignments or the Calculator

Both the calculator and the response fields in math problems accept a variety of characters that represent numbers, operators, constants, functions, and other mathematical concepts. If you've used math programs before, some of these conventions may be familiar to you.

Note: If your course includes the calculator tool, the calculator icon will appear on all pages within the course. To open it, simply select the calculator icon. To close the calculator, click the X
 that appears when the calculator is open.


The calculator also has an information page, providing an abbreviated version of this guide. To view it, select the i
 icon next to the input field.

When entering plain text into the calculator or response field, follow these guidelines:

  • Arithmetical Operations: Use standard characters for addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/).

    • For multiplication, explicitly indicate the operation. For example, type m*c^2 instead of mc^2, or 5a + 4b + 3*c instead of 5a + 4b + 3c.

  • Order of Operations: Use parentheses (( )) to clarify the order of operations and ensure your expression is as clear as possible. Only use curved parentheses (( )), and avoid brackets ([ ]) or braces ({ }).

  • Exponents or Superscripts: Use a caret (^) before an exponent or superscript. If the exponent or superscript contains multiple characters or is an expression, enclose it in parentheses. For example, enter x^n or x^(n-1).

  • Subscripts: Use an underscore (_) before a subscript. If the subscript consists of multiple characters, type them without spaces. For example, enter v_IN-v_OUT. Please note that subscripts cannot currently include operators or parentheses.

  • Whitespace: Avoid using extra spaces.

  • Equal Signs: Do not use equal signs (=).

  • Case Sensitivity: Remember that the system is case-sensitive, so be careful to use uppercase and lowercase letters correctly.

For more details on the characters you can use, see the section below.

Completing Mathematical and Scientific Assignments

  1. Numbers.
  2. Scientific Notation and Metric Affixes.
  3. Constants.
  4. Greek Letters.
  5. Functions.

Note: The SkillsMax system accepts both constants and metric affixes. It's important to distinguish between the two. Constants stand alone, while metric affixes must be combined with numbers.

For example, c can represent either the speed of light (as a constant) or the metric affix meaning "centi." When c is used as a metric affix, do not include a space between c and the number. When used as a constant, explicitly indicate multiplication. Here are examples of the differences:

  • 2c = 0.02 (2 multiplied by 0.01)
  • 2*c = 599584916.0 (the speed of light multiplied by 2)
  • 2M = 2,000,000 (2 multiplied by 1,000,000)
  • 2*M = 2 multiplied by the variable M

For further clarification, refer to Scientific Notation and Metric Affixes or Constants.

Numbers

You can use the following types of numbers:

  • Integers: 2520
  • Fractions: 2/3
  • Normal Floats: 3.14
  • Floats with no integer part: .98

The maximum number you can use is 1.7977e+308, which represents the largest float possible in the Python programming language.

Scientific Notation and Metric Affixes 

You can enter metric affixes or scientific notation to indicate very large or very small numbers. For scientific notation, you can type either a caret (^) or the letter e followed by a number to indicate an exponent. You can use both positive and negative exponents. 

For example, to indicate 0.012, you can enter either of the following expressions: 

  • 1.2*10^-2 

  • 1.2e-2 

To indicate -440,000, you can enter either of the following expressions: 

  • -4.4*10^5 

  • -4.4e5 

The following table shows how to enter numbers with metric affixes, with scientific notation, and with e notation. 

To enter this number 

Use this metric af- 

fix 

Use this scientific notation 

Use this 

tion 

e nota- 

Other nota- 

tion 

0.1 

1d (deci) 

10^-1 

1e-1 

 

 

0.01 

1c (centi) 

10^-2 

1e-2 

 

1% (percent) 

0.001 

1m (milli) 

10^-3 

1e-3 

 

 

0.000001 

1u (micro) 

10^-6 

1e-6 

 

 

0.000000001 

1n (nano) 

10^-9 

1e-9 

 

 

0.000000000001 

1p (pico) 

10^-12 

1e-12 

 

 

1000 

1k (kilo) 

10^3 

1e3 

 

 

1,000,000 

1M (mega) 

10^6 

1e6 

 

 

1,000,000,000 

1G (giga) 

10^9 

1e9 

 

 

1,000,000,000,000 

1T (tera) 

10^2 

1e12 

 

 

 

Note: When you use metric affixes or e notation, make sure you do not include spaces between the number and the metric affix or the e. 

 

Constants 

You can use several different constants in your mathematical expressions. 

 

Note: When you enter constants multiplied by a number, make sure to indicate the multiplication explicitly. For example, enter 2*c instead of 2c and -4*i instead of -4i. 

 

Constant 

Value 

c 

The speed of light in m/s (2.998^8) 

e 

Euler’s number (2.718...) 

g 

Gravity (9.80 m/s^2) 

i 

The square root of -1 

j 

The square root of -1 

k 

The Boltzmann constant (~1.38^-23 in Joules/Kelvin) 

pi 

The ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter (3.14159...) 

q 

The fundamental charge (~1.602^-19 Coloumbs) 

T 

The positive difference between 0K and 0°C (273.15) 

Greek Letters 

To use any of the following Greek letters, type the name of the letter in the calculator or the response field. 

Name 

Letter 

 

 

epsilon 

 

 

 

vartheta 

 

iota 

ι 

kappa 

 

 

 

phi 

 

 

 

Functions 

To use a function, type the letters that represent the function, and then surround the expression in that function with parentheses. For example, to represent the square root of 4*a+b, type sqrt(4*a+b). 
You can use the following functions. 
  1. Common functions.
    1. sqrt
    2. log10
    3. log2
    4. ln
    5. exp
    6. abs 
  2.       Trigonometric functions and their inverses, as well as hyperbolic trigonometric functions and their inverses. 

Function 

Inverse 

Hyperbolic Function 

Inverse 

sin 

arcsin 

sinh 

arcsinh 

cos 

arccos 

cosh 

arccosh 

tan 

arctan 

tanh 

arctanh 

sec 

arcsec 

sech 

arcsech 

csc 

arccsc 

csch 

arccsch 

cot 

arccot 

coth 

arccoth 


  1.  Factorials: Enter factorials as fact(3) or factorial(3). You must use integers. For example, you cannot enter fact(1.5).
  2. A “parallel resistors” operator (||). For example, 1 || 2 represents the resistance of a pair of parallel resistors (of resistance 1 and 2 ohms), evaluating to 2/3 (ohms).

Entering Math Expressions in Course Discussions

Entering math expressions in course discussions is different from entering math expressions in a math problem or in the calculator. In course discussions, you use MathJax to format the text that you type. 
For detailed information about how to enter math expressions in course discussions, see Math Formatting in Course Discussions.

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