Problem-solving template clarification

I just graded the first problems, and it was good. I realized that I should explain the problem-solving template a bit more explicitly. There are six sections to the template:

Find/Given: state what you are supposed to find, and what is given in the problem. Usually trivial.

Sketch: this should be something that helps solve the problem, not just a picture. If you are given a function, sketch its graph. If you have a physical situation, draw a picture with rough dimensions noted to help clarify the geometry a bit better. Once we start with problems on motion, this will be more obvious.

Relevant equations: list all equations you will need to solve the problem, such as dm/dt=0.

Symbolic solution: (there was the most confusion on this section) without plugging in any numbers, algebraically solve for the variable of interest. This is supposed to be a general solution, in the next step you plug in the numbers you have. Your answer should (in most cases) be an equation, solved for the quantity of interest.

Numeric solution: now use the previous result, plug in the numbers and units/conversions, and state the numerical value of the quantity of interest. Include the proper units and significant figures or error margin.

Double-check: Just what it sounds like, find a second method of solving or estimating the answer of the previous step to confirm that your methods are correct. Two usual ways to do this are to make sure the units of the answer are correct, and to make a "ballpark" estimate (order-of-magnitude).

As an example of how to go about this, see the solutions to the first homework problems. I have been a bit more ... pedantic ... than you need to be, but hopefully you get the idea. The point of the template is to help you learn good problem-solving techniques that can serve you generally. It seems painful when the problems are easy, as they are now, but it pays off considerably when things get more involved (soon).

Finally, grading of homework & quizzes is directly based on this template. For a given problem, each of the six sections above is worth a total of 2 points: 2 points if that section is fully correct, 1 point if it is partially correct, and 0 points if it is absent or deeply flawed. Thus, each problem is worth a total of 12 points. I tried to grade today's problems very leniently, since it was the first time around.