Example-Like Elements

Section 15.2 Example-Like Elements

PreTeXt provides three closely-related tags for things that are examples or similar. They are <example>, <problem>, and <question>. They all have the same syntax. The <title> element is optional, but encouraged as discussed in Best Practice 4.8.1. You may either use a freeform example, as shown in Listing 15.2.1, or an example structured with a <statement> and zero or more <hint>s, <answer>s, and <solution>s (in that order). This is illustrated in Listing 15.2.3. Note that for HTML output, if your <example> has a <solution>, the solution will be hidden in a knowl, and the publisher does not (as of summer 2021) have the option of not knowling the solution.

Author vs. publisher.

PreTeXt strives to remind us that the roles of author and publisher should be kept mentally separate, even if there is one individual ultimately responsible for both roles. One way to think about this is that the author is the person writing the content of the book, article, etc., while the publisher is the person responsible for making the final product available to the world in one or more formats such as a physical print-on-demand book, an electronic book in EPUB format, or a web page.

Authors and publishers generally work collaboratively, but the publisher frequently comes in later in the process. Some authors act as their own publishers, but it is useful to switch mindsets when making decisions about how the final product will be presented to the world rather than the specific content on the page or screen.

<example>
  <title>Differentiating a polynomial</title>
  <p>
    The derivative of the function
    <m>f(x) = 3x^5-7x+5</m> is <m>f'(x) = 15x^4-7</m>.
  </p>
</example>

Listing 15.2.1. A simple example

The code in Listing 15.2.1 produces the following output:

Example 15.2.2. Differentiating a polynomial.

The derivative of the function \(f(x) = 3x^5-7x+5\) is \(f'(x) = 15x^4-7\text{.}\)

If you are reading this in HTML with the default processing options applied, the example above will be knowled. This is the PreTeXt default only so that authors know that knowls exist. See Section 29.2 for information on changing this behavior.

<example>
  <title>Differentiating a polynomial</title>
  <statement>
    <p>
      Differentiate the function <m>f(x) = 3x^5-7x+5</m>.
    </p>
  </statement>
  <answer>
    <p>
      <m>f'(x) = 15x^4-7</m>
    </p>
  </answer>
  <solution>
    <p>
      We use the power, sum,
      and constant multiple rules and find that the derivative is <m>f'(x) = 15x^4-7</m>.
    </p>
  </solution>
</example>

Listing 15.2.3. A structured example

The code in Listing 15.2.3 produces the following output:

Example 15.2.4. Differentiating a polynomial.

Differentiate the function \(f(x) = 3x^5-7x+5\text{.}\)

Answer.

\(f'(x) = 15x^4-7\)

Solution.

We use the power, sum, and constant multiple rules and find that the derivative is \(f'(x) = 15x^4-7\text{.}\)

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