# Assessment Instructions: Problem Set 03 — Impact Cratering and Comparative Surface Geology

## Inputs to Inspect
Student submission, this problem set, the solution key, the corresponding lecture slides/notes, and the shared
constants in `materials/ASTR320/src/generate_astr320_content.py` where a problem reuses course data.

## Grading Standard
Award credit for correct method and units first, then for the specific numeric result. A student who shows correct
reasoning with a small arithmetic slip should receive most of the available credit; a student with a correct-looking
number but no visible derivation steps should not. Because this is a 300-level quantitative course, full marks require
a genuine derivation (not just formula substitution) wherever the problem set asks for one.

## Problem-Level Criteria
- Problem 1: unit conversion to megatons must be shown explicitly.
- Problem 2: both the numeric time estimate and the plate-tectonics explanation are required.
- Problem 3: answer must specifically address why a narrow (not wide) degradation range is the key diagnostic.
- Problem 4: answer must identify material strength as the compensating factor, not merely restate the contradiction.
- Problem 5: both the surface-to-volume argument and the specific independent evidence (lobate scarps) are required.

## Resubmission Policy
Students may resubmit within one week of receiving feedback. A resubmission must show a corrected derivation, not
only a corrected final number, and should reference the specific feedback comment it addresses. Regrade to a maximum
of 90% of the original point value unless the error was a grading mistake.

## Common Errors to Flag
- Reporting kinetic energy without converting to megatons for comparison to the published range (Problem 1).
- Treating the Hawaiian-chain formation time and Olympus Mons's construction time as needing to match exactly rather than being compared at order-of-magnitude precision (Problem 2).
- Assuming gravity alone fully determines the simple-to-complex crater transition diameter (Problem 4).