Add a query parameter to constrain Level 1 challenges to have positive coefficients.

[pixelzoom]

On Slack, @kathy-phet requested a query parameter that constrains the Solve It! challenges for Level 1 to have positive coefficients for x.

The full specification for the Level 1 challenges can be found in this design doc: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vG5U9HhcqVGMvmGGXry28PLqlNWj25lStDP2vSWgUOo/edit#heading=h.tuc0yye6ee0b. Here's a summary of the 3 types of challenges in Level 1:

• ax = c, where the range of a is [-10,10], and a is not 0 or 1
• x + b = c
• x/d = c, where the range of d is [-10,10], and d is not 0 or 1

This query parameter will constrain a and d to positive values, that is [2,10].

In addition to adding this in master, @kathy-phet asked that it be added to a RC created on the current release branch. That RC version will not be QA tested or published, but will be used for a study with a 6th-grade class.

Query parameter name will be easyLevel1, a flag.

Deadline is 4/6/21 @ 1:15pm, for discussion at a team meeting. Students will use it on Friday, 4/9/21.

[pixelzoom]

@kathy-phet here's a dev version, to confirm that this is behaving as desired:

https://phet-dev.colorado.edu/html/equality-explorer/1.1.0-dev.2/phet/equality-explorer_en_phet.html?easyLevel1

If this looks OK, let me know and I'll patch it into the 1.0 release branch.

[pixelzoom]

In Slack, @kathy-phet verified that 1.1.0-dev.2 is behaving as desired. I'll proceed with patching into the 1.0 branch, and creating the RC.

[pixelzoom]

Patching the 1.0 branch was a tad more work than usual. I could not cherry-pick, because the branch predates the conversion to ES6. So I had to manually patch the affected files. Anyway...

The RC version has been deployed. The link, with easyLevel1 query parameter, is:

https://phet-dev.colorado.edu/html/equality-explorer/1.0.13-rc.1/phet/equality-explorer_en_phet.html?easyLevel1

@kathy-phet let me know if there's anything else to be done here.

[kathy-phet]

Thanks! Closing.

[pixelzoom]

Reopening.

Now that this change is in both master and the 1.0 release branch, there are consequences.

First, is this going to be a new "official" feature? If so, it needs to be added to the query-parameters spreadsheet, QA tested, etc.

Second, there's the issue of having an unpublished/untested change in a production branch. For the 1.0 branch, this change will automatically be published, without having been QA tested, the next time a 1.0 maintenance release occurs. That came up today, when @samreid needed to do a maintenance release. Luckily that maintenace release involved a PhET-iO feature, so equality-explorer was skipped. But the next time there is a general maintenance release, this query parameter will get published in a production version.

@kathy-phet How do you want to proceed with this feature?

[kathy-phet]

@amanda-phet and I can discuss about the future of this query parameter after we hear back from the teacher about how the sim use went. So in a week or so.

[pixelzoom]

@amanda-phet @kathy-phet checking in to see how use of this query parameter went. How would you like me to proceed?

[amanda-phet]

@kathy-phet and I discussed this.

@pixelzoom I'm thinking I'd like to add a new level between 1 and 2 (so a new level 2).

Level 1: "easy" level 1 [what is currently ?easyLevel1] Level 2: challenges with negative coefficients [modified Level 1, only challenge types 1 and 3, with a = [-10,-1] and d = [-10,-1] with the first challenge being type 1 and a=-1] Level 3: [current level 2, no change] Level 4: [current level 3, no change] Level 5: [current level 4, no change]

This is obviously a major change, so we should discuss the cost and timeline. We can do it here or schedule a quick design meeting to review questions. I tried to summarize level 2 above, but it would probably benefit from a more robust spec.

[pixelzoom]

This would be relatively straightforward, but time consuming. Here are the tasks and time estimates.

@amanda-phet design:

• Update the design doc. Because it is referenced in the code for each level's challenge generator, it's important that the doc is kept up-to-date.
• Decide what the layout should be for 5 level selection buttons (versus the current 4 buttons).

@pixelzoom implementation (2-4 hours):

• Add a button to the level selection screen, adjust layout.
• Rename the challenge generators for levels 2, 3, 4 (to 3, 4, 5).
• Split the level 1 challenge generator into two generators, for levels 1 & 2.
• Tweak the implementation to meet the new requirements for level 2.
• Delete the easyLevel1 query parameter.

@pixelzoom maintenance release (1-3 hours):

• Patch into 1.0 branch
• QA testing, RC spot-check of the Solve It screen.
• Publish 1.0 maintenance release

[kathy-phet]

@pixelzoom - We have funding for this, and it would be good to have for our grant work. There is no current deadline for this work, but in general I think it would be nice to have it published with this by start of 2021-22 school year.

[pixelzoom]

Sounds good. As @amanda-phet suggested, let's schedule a quick design meeting about this, to make sure we're all on the same page.

[pixelzoom]

Since revising the game is a different (and larger) task than adding a query parameter, I've moved the game revision to https://github.com/phetsims/equality-explorer/issues/164. Let's continue the discussion there.

Closing.

[pixelzoom]

Reopening to remove easyLevel1 query parameter, for #164.

[pixelzoom]

easyLevel1 query parameter was removed from master and 1.0 in the above commits.

1.0.13-rc.1 was the only version to support easyLevel1.

Closing.