The homework class

Provides the LaTeX class homework.cls for typesetting homework in a straightforward problem-solution format. Designed to avoid this mistake.

Read on for a description of the homework class.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
  • Features
  • Example
• Getting Started
  • Template
  • Usage
• Documentation
  • Commands
  • Environments
  • Class Options
• License

Introduction

Features

• Simple interface for specifying homework information (e.g., name and course).
• Environments for writing problem statements, problem parts, and solutions.
• Automatic title creation.
• Compatible with article class options.
• Loads the AMS math packages.
• Automatic PDF author/title/bookmark metadata creation.

Example

For an examples of homework solutions created using the homework class, see example.tex and the resulting PDF.

Getting Started

Template

template.tex is a ready-to-use homework template that uses the homework class.

Usage

• Download homework.cls and save it in the same directory as your homework .tex file (alternatively, see this question to learn where to put .cls files to be globally available to TeX)
• At the top of the homework .tex file, put \documentclass{homework}.
• In the preamble, specify the homework information using the commands listed in the Commands section.
• In the document, begin writing problems in problem environments and solutions in solution environments (see Environments).

Documentation

Commands

The following commands should be used in the preamble of the homework .tex file. If these are not used, you will get an error.

• \name{<name>}: Replace <name> with your name.
• \course{<course>}: Replace <course> with the name of the course.
• \term{<term>}: Replace <term> with the term when the course is held.
• \hwnum{<number>}: Replace <number> with the number of the homework.

Thus, at a minimum, your preamble must contain

\documentclass{homework}

\name{<name>}
\course{<course>}
\term{<term>}
\hwnum{<hwnum>}

You can also change the default text of various labels that appear on the document by using the following commands.

• \hwname{<name>}: Replace <name> with the desired label for the type of homework (e.g., Assignment or Problem Set). The default is Homework.
• \problemname{<name>}: Replace <name> with the desired label for problems created with the problem environment (e.g., Exercise or Question). The default is Problem.
• \solutionname{<name>}: Replace <name> with the desired label for solutions created with the solution environment (e.g., Proof, Answer, or a label in another language). The default is Solution.

Environments

The following environments are provided to typeset the homework.

• problem: wraps individual problem statements. By default, problems are numbered beginning at 1. To change the number of a given problem to n, use the command \problemnumber{n} before the problem environment.

• solution: wraps the solution to a problem.

• parts: enumerates parts of a multiple-part problem. If multiple parts environments are used in a single problem environment, labels will resume unless you use the \unresume command right after the beginning of each parts environment. New parts are declared using the \part command. The part labels can be customized by providing one of the following options to the parts environment:

  • a: (default) Lowercase letters.
  • A: Uppercase letters.
  • r: Lowercase Roman numerals.
  • R: Uppercase Roman numerals.
  • n: Numbers.

  To specify your own labels to parts (for example, to only list parts b, d and e) use the custom label as parameter as in \part[b)].

• claim, lemma, propostion, theorem, corollary, proof: organize claims made in a solution (and prove these claims). The 'claim' environment takes an optional argument that labels the claim (e.g., \begin{claim}[Conjecture] will make the claim be labelled "Conjecture"). The other listed environments are derived from the 'claim' environment.

Class Options

To use a class option, write

\documentclass[<options>]{homework}

at the beginning of your homework file, where <options> is a comma-separated list of the options that you wish to use.

All the options of the article class may be used. In addition, the homework class provides the following options.

• boxes: Use this option if you want the problem environment to enclose problem statements in boxes.
• hidesolutions: Use this option to hide solutions in the output. With this option enabled, you can still write solutions in the solution environment, but these solutions will not show up in the final document.
• qed: Use this option if you want an end-of-proof symbol printed at the end of solutions.

License

This code is distributed under the MIT license. For more info, read the LICENSE file.