|
1 | | -# IsSimilar |
| 1 | +# IsSimilar |
2 | 2 |
|
3 | | -Use this evaluation function to check if the student's reponse is within a tolerance range defined in `params`. Works exactly like the [numpy.isclose](https://numpy.org/doc/stable/reference/generated/numpy.isclose.html#numpy.isclose) function. Valid params include `atol` and `rtol` (absolute and relative tolerances) which can be used in combination, or alone. |
| 3 | +Use this evaluation function to check if a student's response is within a tolerance range of the correct answer. Works like the [numpy.isclose](https://numpy.org/doc/stable/reference/generated/numpy.isclose.html#numpy.isclose) function. |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +A response is accepted if: |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +``` |
| 8 | +|response - answer| ≤ atol + rtol × |answer| |
| 9 | +``` |
| 10 | + |
| 11 | +The left-hand side is the absolute difference between the student's response and the correct answer. The right-hand side is the total allowed difference, made up of a fixed part (`atol`) and a part that scales with the size of the answer (`rtol × |answer|`). A response is marked correct whenever the actual difference does not exceed the allowed difference. |
| 12 | + |
| 13 | +## Parameters |
| 14 | + |
| 15 | +Both parameters default to `0` (exact match required) and can be used individually or together. |
| 16 | + |
| 17 | +### `atol` — Absolute tolerance |
| 18 | + |
| 19 | +Specifies a fixed margin around the answer, regardless of its magnitude. Use this when you know the acceptable error in the same units as the answer. |
| 20 | + |
| 21 | +### `rtol` — Relative tolerance |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | +Specifies an acceptable error as a fraction of the answer's magnitude. Use this when the answer is very large or very small and a percentage-based margin makes more sense than a fixed one. |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +## Examples |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +### Exact match (default) |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +No params needed. The student must enter exactly `42` (floating-point precision is handled automatically). |
| 30 | + |
| 31 | +### Absolute tolerance |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +```json |
| 34 | +{ "atol": 0.05 } |
| 35 | +``` |
| 36 | + |
| 37 | +With answer `9.81`, accepts any response in the range **9.76 – 9.86**. Good for physical measurements where the acceptable error is known in the same units. |
| 38 | + |
| 39 | +### Relative tolerance |
| 40 | + |
| 41 | +```json |
| 42 | +{ "rtol": 0.01 } |
| 43 | +``` |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +With answer `6.674e-11`, accepts any response within **1%** of the answer. Good for very large or very small values where a fixed margin would be impractical. |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +### Combined tolerances |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +```json |
| 50 | +{ "atol": 0.01, "rtol": 0.005 } |
| 51 | +``` |
| 52 | + |
| 53 | +Both tolerances contribute: with answer `9.81`, the allowed difference is `0.01 + 0.005 × 9.81 ≈ 0.059`. Useful when you want a minimum floor (`atol`) plus a proportional allowance (`rtol`). |
| 54 | + |
| 55 | +## Notes |
4 | 56 |
|
5 | 57 | **Note:** If the answer is not a number, all responses will generate an error. |
6 | 58 |
|
7 | | -**Note:** If the response is not a number, a feedback message asking the user to submit a number will be returned. |
| 59 | +**Note:** If the response is not a number, a feedback message asking the student to submit a number will be returned. |
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