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Problem Generation

NEW in v0.2.2: Generate complete physics problems from ideas using natural language!

Overview

VBAgent can now generate complete problems from scratch using Agent 5 (Idea Generator) with full pipeline integration:

  • Problem statement + solution + alternate solution
  • TikZ diagrams from description
  • Classification metadata
  • Difficulty assessment
  • Standard output format

Using Chat Interface

The easiest way to generate problems:

$ vbagent chat

Example 1: Minimal Input

You: "Create a problem on friction"

Agent: "What topic is this for? (e.g., Mechanics, Dynamics)"
You: "Mechanics"

Agent: "What type of question? (mcq_sc, passage, subjective)"
You: "passage"

Agent: "How many questions?"
You: "3"

Agent: "Should I include diagrams?"
You: "yes"

Agent: *generates complete problem*

Example 2: Full Details Upfront

You: "Generate a passage problem on double block friction system in 
      Mechanics with 3 questions, medium difficulty, with diagrams"

Agent: *directly generates without asking*

What You Get

Complete problem with:

  • ✅ Generated LaTeX (problem + solution + ideas)
  • ✅ TikZ diagram (auto-generated from description)
  • ✅ Classification metadata (Agent 4)
  • ✅ Diagram analysis (Agent 2)
  • ✅ Difficulty assessment (Agent 3)
  • ✅ All metadata merged into LaTeX

Output structure: 

agentic/
├── generated/
│   ├── problem_1.tex          (with metadata comments)
│   ├── problem_1_solution.tex
│   └── problem_1_idea.tex
├── classifications/problem_1.json
├── diagrams/problem_1.json
├── difficulty/problem_1.json
└── tikz/problem_1.tex

Same format as image/tex processing!

Parameters

When generating problems, you can specify:

  • idea (required): What the problem is about

  • Example: "double block friction system"

  • topic (required): Physics topic

  • Example: "Mechanics", "Thermodynamics", "Kinematics"

  • question_type (optional): Type of question

  • Options: mcq_sc, mcq_mc, passage, subjective, assertion_reason, match

  • Default: passage

  • num_questions (optional): Number of questions (for passage)

  • Range: 1-10

  • Default: 2

  • difficulty (optional): Target difficulty

  • Options: easy, medium, hard

  • Default: medium

  • with_diagram (optional): Include diagrams

  • Default: true

  • concepts (optional): Specific concepts to cover

  • Example: ["friction", "normal force", "energy conservation"]

Example Conversations

Physics Problem

You: "I want to create a problem on projectile motion"

Agent: "What topic?"
You: "Kinematics"

Agent: "What type of question?"
You: "mcq_sc"

Agent: "Difficulty level?"
You: "hard"

Agent: "Include diagrams?"
You: "yes"

Agent: *generates MCQ with trajectory diagram*

Chemistry Problem

You: "Generate a passage on chemical equilibrium in Physical Chemistry, 
      4 questions, medium difficulty"

Agent: *generates complete passage with reactions and diagrams*

Mathematics Problem

You: "Create a calculus problem on integration by parts"

Agent: "What difficulty?"
You: "medium"

Agent: *generates problem with step-by-step solution*

Tips

  1. Be specific about the concept: "double block friction" is better than just "friction"

  2. Mention key concepts: Helps generate focused problems 

    "Create a problem on friction covering normal force and energy conservation"

  3. Specify diagram needs: If you want specific diagram elements 

    "Generate with free body diagram showing all forces"

  4. Use natural language: The agent understands conversational input 

    "I need a tough passage problem on thermodynamics with 3 questions"

Workflow

  1. Generate → Problem created by Agent 5
  2. TikZ → Diagram generated from description
  3. Classify → Agent 4 analyzes the problem
  4. Analyze → Agent 2 analyzes diagram
  5. Assess → Agent 3 assesses difficulty
  6. Merge → All metadata added to LaTeX
  7. Save → Standard format output

Time Estimates

  • Problem generation: ~30-40 seconds
  • TikZ generation: ~5-10 minutes (complex diagrams)
  • Classification: ~1-2 seconds
  • Diagram analysis: ~10 seconds
  • Difficulty assessment: ~15-20 seconds

Total: ~6-12 minutes for complete problem with diagram

Next Steps