Unpredictable conversion to scientific form

[Martin Jones]

I am using a variable with a value of something like 0.0042.

90% of the time it is displayed as 0.0042 (which is how I prefer). Occasionally it gets converted to standard/scientific form, i.e. 4.2\times10^{-3}. See images below.

I have not been able to find out any pattern about why it does this. It has also mixed these styles in the same question which is not great.

Would it be possible to have an option (perhaps a simplification rule) for converting to scientific form or not?

Regards,

Martin

[Ben Brawn]

I feel like something changed when the decimal data type was added, or maybe it was always that way?

But try the following, look at how your decimal is created and instead of doing say random(0..1#0.0001), try doing something like random(1..100)/10000 or decimal(random(1..100)/10000), and then the final suggestion would be to avoid using simplify unless it has a purpose.

From what I can see 

$\frac{1}{\var{a}}$ where a  is defined as random(1..100)/1000) is never displayed as scientific notation, the same can be said about 

$\simplify{1/{b}}$ where b is defined as decimal(random(1..100)/1000))

However when a variable c is defined as random(23..99)*10^-5 and then we do $\simplify{{c}}$ it will be inconsistent.

[Christian Lawson-Perfect]

Martin,

Can you give me a link to a question where this happens, please?

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[Ben Brawn]

While you wait for Martin's question here is what I knocked together to demonstrate https://numbas.mathcentre.ac.uk/question/share/view/6fa1be62-468e-4989-9065-28d1f81adf3d 

[Martin Jones]

Here is my question:

Newton's law of cooling - Numbas at mathcentre.ac.uk

[Christian Lawson-Perfect]

Thanks Martin, that helped me pin down what was happening. I've made a change that should make it consistent, and not use scientific notation when subbing into a \simplify{} command. We'll see if that has any other side-effects!

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