# How should I author decimal numbers?

We have to select a base language for authoring, to prevent multiple interpretations of the same input. AlgebraKiT’s base language for authoring is English.

That means that for authoring it is recommended to use the English notation for a.o. numbers (point notation as decimal separator) and domains (square vs round brackets) to make sure the student behavior is correct. In the interactive student exercise, AlgebraKiT uses the audience information to translate the authored exercise to the interactive version with the correct student behavior.

We do provide support to write numbers with decimal separator to some extent, but we can’t guarantee that this results in the desired behavior at all times.

##### Example

When authoring an algebra interaction with task $(3,4+2)$, AlgebraKiT needs to decide whether this is the value $5,4$ or whether this is the coordinate $(3, 6)$. Therefore, it is recommended to write numbers with the point separator, and coordinates with a space after the comma.

Note: in the Math Entry literal setting, you should author the input as you want the student to literally write the answer. In that situation you will always need to author the expression based on the audience.