# Assessment Instructions: Problem Set 02 — Solar Cycle Data and Sunspot Pressure Balance

## Inputs to Inspect
Student submission, this problem set, the solution key, the corresponding lecture slides/notes, and the referenced dataset(s) under `materials/ASTR370/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 solar physics and space weather course, full marks require a genuine derivation wherever the problem set asks for one, and a genuinely reasoned (not merely asserted) interpretation wherever the problem asks for scientific judgment (e.g., honestly characterizing an order-of-magnitude estimate's uncertainty, or a historical reconstruction's disclosed range).

## Problem-Level Criteria
- Problem 1: verify correct percentage arithmetic and a reasoned, not merely numeric, comparative statement.
- Problem 2: verify B is converted from Gauss to Tesla before use in the P_mag formula.
- Problem 3: verify the revised ratio correctly applies the 10% increase only to Cycle 25's value.
- Problem 4: verify the algebraic rearrangement is shown, not just the final numeric threshold.

## 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
- Forgetting to convert Gauss to Tesla (a factor-of-10^4 error) before computing P_mag.
- Applying the 10% revision to both cycles instead of only Cycle 25.
- Treating a sunspot-number ratio between two specific past cycles as predictive of a third, future cycle.