## WeBWorK Problems

### Error with multiple use of custom answer checker

by Ted Shifrin -
Number of replies: 4
My apologies if this has been addressed elsewhere. I have a problem with three equations of planes. I want each problem graded with the adaptive parameter custom answer checker. So I call that routine three separate times.

The grader works perfectly if I enter all three answers simultaneously. However, if I enter only one or two, I get the dreaded pink page with the warning message (with multiplicity)

Please inform your instructor that an error occurred while checking your answer at [PG]/lib/Value/AnswerChecker.pm line 273Is this a known bug?

### Re: Error with multiple use of custom answer checker

by Ted Shifrin -
Here's the complete code. The problem is a bit complicated because there's a choice of 3 different functions, then (left over from a previous version, where I had matching and wanted the linear equations to have no common integer factor) some ad hoc stuff for getting rid of gcd's. But, as I say, the problem works and grades correctly except for the error message.

DOCUMENT();
"PGunion.pl",
"PGcourse.pl",
"PGbasicmacros.pl",
"PGchoicemacros.pl",
"PGauxiliaryFunctions.pl",
"MathObjects.pl",
"Parser.pl",
);

$showPartialCorrectAnswers = 0; TEXT(beginproblem); Context("Vector")->variables->are(x=>'Real',y=>'Real',z=>'Real');$f = 'f\left(\begin{array}{c} x\\y\\z \end{array}\right)';

# defining a procedure to repeat in case any partial derivative comes out 0

PROC:
{
$a=non_zero_random(-2,2,1);$b=non_zero_random(-2,2,1);
$c=non_zero_random(-2,2,1);$P = ColumnVector($a,$b,$c);$d=non_zero_random(-5,5,1);
$e=random(1,5,1);$j=non_zero_random(-5,5,1);
do{$k=random(1,5,1)} until ($k!=$e);$l=random(-3,3,2);

@fn = ("x^2 + y^3 + z^4",
"x^3 + $d x z^2+ y^2 z+$e y^3",
"$e y z^2 +$d x^$k z^5", "e^($c x - $a z) tan($c y - $b z +$l pi/4) + x y + $j z", "e^($d x-y+$j z+(-$a*$d+$b-$c*$j)) + $e xz^2"); @choice = NchooseK($#fn,3);
@subfn = @fn[@choice];

for ($i=0;$i<3; $i++) {$f[$i]=Formula("$subfn[$i]")->reduce;$fx[$i]=$f[$i]->D('x')->eval(x=>$a, y=>$b, z=>$c);
$fy[$i]=$f[$i]->D('y')->eval(x=>$a, y=>$b, z=>$c);$fz[$i]=$f[$i]->D('z')->eval(x=>$a, y=>$b, z=>$c);

$fval[$i]=$f[$i]->eval(x=>$a, y=>$b, z=>$c);$ques[$i]=Formula("$f[$i]")->TeX;$gcd1[$i]=gcd($fx[$i],$fy[$i]);$gcd[$i]=gcd($gcd1[$i],$fz[$i]); if($gcd[$i]>1) {$fx[$i]=$fx[$i]/$gcd[$i];$fy[$i]=$fy[$i]/$gcd[$i];$fz[$i]=$fz[$i]/$gcd[$i];} if($fx[$i]<0) {$fx[$i]=-$fx[$i];$fy[$i]=-$fy[$i];$fz[$i]=-$fz[$i];}$ans[$i]=Formula("$fx[$i]x+$fy[$i]y+$fz[$i]z")->reduce;$ansrh[$i]=$ans[$i]->eval(x=>$a, y=>$b, z=>$c);
redo PROC if ($fx[$i]*$fy[$i]*$fz[$i]==0);
$plane[$i] = Formula("$ans[$i]-$ansrh[$i]")->reduce;}}

Context() -> texStrings;

BEGIN_TEXT

Let $$\mathbf{a} = P$$. Give an equation of the tangent plane of the given level surface $$f = c\$$ at $$\mathbf{a}$$.
Note that the constant $$c$$ is chosen so that $$f(\mathbf a) = c$$.
$PAR Note that in each case we have provided the right-hand side "$$= 0$$" of your equation.$PAR
(a) $$f=ques[0]=fval[0]$$
$BR \{ans_rule(50)\} $$= 0$$$PAR
(b) $$f=ques[1]=fval[1]$$
$BR \{ans_rule(50)\} $$= 0$$$PAR
(c) $$f=ques[2]=fval[2]$$
$BR \{ans_rule(50)\} $$= 0$$$PAR

END_TEXT

ANS($plane[0]->cmp(checker => sub { my ($correct, $student,$self ) = @_;
my $context = Context()->copy; return 0 if$student == 0;
$context->flags->set(no_parameters=>0);$context->variables->add('C0'=>'Parameter');
my $c0 = Formula($context,'C0');
$student = Formula($context,$student);$correct = Formula($context, "$c0 * ($plane[0])"); return$correct == $student; })); ANS($plane[1]->cmp(checker => sub {
my ( $correct,$student, $self ) = @_; my$context = Context()->copy;
return 0 if $student == 0;$context->flags->set(no_parameters=>0);
$context->variables->add('C1'=>'Parameter'); my$c1 = Formula($context,'C1');$student = Formula($context,$student);
$correct = Formula($context, "$c1 * ($plane[1])");
return $correct ==$student;
}));

ANS($plane[2]->cmp(checker => sub { my ($correct, $student,$self ) = @_;
my $context = Context()->copy; return 0 if$student == 0;
$context->flags->set(no_parameters=>0);$context->variables->add('C2'=>'Parameter');
my $c2 = Formula($context,'C2');
$student = Formula($context,$student);$correct = Formula($context, "$c2 * ($plane[2])"); return$correct == \$student;
}));

ENDDOCUMENT();

### Re: Error with multiple use of custom answer checker

by Paul Pearson -
Hi Ted,

The answers to the three parts of this question are all equations for planes, so why not use parserImplicitPlane.pl ? A complete example is given at:

http://webwork.maa.org/wiki/ImplicitPlane1#.T9j2w5jh_To

If you really want to continue to ask the question in its current form, I would recommend you look at:

Good luck!

Paul Pearson

### Re: Error with multiple use of custom answer checker

by Ted Shifrin -

I gather ImplicitPlane is far more stable than ImplicitEquation, which I have had problems with (and which the WeBWork pages themselves disparage). Thanks, I'll give it a shot!

So much to learn :)