Create a right-triangle hypotenuse question with units

In this tutorial, you will create a geometry question where students must compute the hypotenuse of a right-angled triangle using the Pythagorean theorem. This tutorial introduces how to include units in mathematical answers in LearningLemur.

Outcome: By the end of this tutorial, you will create a question that requires students to compute the hypotenuse of a right triangle and include the correct unit of length in their answer.

Before you begin

Prerequisites

• You should be familiar with basic right-triangle geometry and have access to a LearningLemur-enabled course

Requirements

• A teacher account with permission to create questions in LearningLemur, accessed through learninglemur.com or your LMS

Step 0 — Create a Quiz

Why: LearningLemur organises all questions inside quizzes, so creating a quiz first provides the workspace where you will add and manage your questions.

1. Click on Create new quiz
2. Enter the Quiz Title
3. (Optional) Add a description to the quiz
4. Click on Create

Checkpoint: You should now see the quiz workspace with options to add questions.

Step 1 — Add a new question

Why: LearningLemur allows you to create questions either manually or with the help of AI. In this tutorial, we will create the question manually to understand how the editor works.

1. Inside the quiz, click Add question
2. In the creation dialog, choose Manually
3. Select the Open answer question

This question type allows students to enter a mathematical expression using the math editor.

Checkpoint: You should see the Open Answer question editor, including fields for the title, statement, and answers.

Step 2 — Write the question statement

Why: The statement explains the problem students must solve.

1. Enter a Question title, for example: Hypotenuse of a right triangle
2. In the Question statement, write the exercise text

You can use the MathType editor to format mathematical expressions if needed.

Checkpoint: Your question should now display the triangle problem with the two leg lengths.

Step 3 — Define the correct answer

Why: LearningLemur needs to know the expected solution in order to evaluate student responses. Using the Pythagorean theorem:

1. Scroll to the Answers section
2. In the first answer field, enter the correct answer with the corresponding units of measure
3. Mark this answer as a Correct answer

LearningLemur will compare student responses with this expression using the mathematical evaluation engine.

Checkpoint: You should see the answer marked as a correct answer (100%).

Step 4 — Enable units of measure

Why: LearningLemur must recognize the unit and prefix you use in the answer. Otherwise, the unit will be treated as plain text instead of a supported unit of measure.

1. Open Question settings
2. Go to Units of measure
3. Enable the units you want to support
4. Go to Unit prefixes
5. Enable the prefixes you want to support
6. For this example, make sure the settings allow centimetres

Checkpoint: The unit is now recognized by the editor in the answer field. For example, cm appears as a recognized unit instead of plain text.

Step 5 — Check that the unit is recognized

Why: Before testing the question, it is useful to confirm that the unit has been configured correctly.

1. Return to the Answers section
2. Look at the answer 5 cm

Before enabling units, the unit may appear as plain text. After enabling the required unit and prefix, the editor shows it as a recognized unit.

Checkpoint: The unit in the answer field appears as recognized by the editor.

Step 6 — Preview the question

Why: Previewing allows you to test the question exactly as students will see it.

1. Click Preview question
2. Try entering several answers, such as:
   1. 5 cm
   2. 0.05 m
3. Verify that correct answers are accepted.

Checkpoint: The system should mark correct results as correct.

You're done

You have created a geometry question in which students must compute the hypotenuse of a right triangle and include the unit in their answer. You learned how to:

• Create a geometry question in LearningLemur
• Define answers that include units
• Verify the evaluation using preview mode

Next, you can continue learning with the following tutorials:

• Create a randomized right-triangle question
• Allow tolerance for irrational answers
• Add partial scoring when units are missing

Troubleshooting

Correct answers are marked as incorrect

Check that:

• The required unit is enabled in Units of measure
• The required prefix is enabled in Unit prefixes
• The answer includes the correct unit of measure
• The evaluation option is set to Mathematically equal, not Literally equal

The unit appears as plain text in the answer field

Check that the corresponding unit and prefix are enabled in Question settings.