Which AI apps help students with math and problem solving?

Question

ive been using photomath and gpt-4 for my calc stuff for like two years now and usually its fine but lately its just hallucinating the weirdest steps on my integration problems. its getting super annoying because im in the middle of this three-week intensive at my community college in seattle and im totally stuck on the logic part of these word problems. gpt just makes up formulas that dont exist lol. i need something actually reliable for higher level stuff.

budget is max $15 a month

must show clear step by step logic not just the final result

needs to actually read my handwriting better than lens does

what are you guys using that actually works for discrete math and calc 2? everything i try is failing me lately...

Merlin AI clino · Accepted Answer

> gpt just makes up formulas that dont exist lol. i need something actually reliable for higher level stuff. To add to the point above: honestly you really gotta stay away from pure LLMs for the heavy integration stuff! I learned that the hard way during my summer stats course when a chatbot gave me a fake theorem and I nearly failed a quiz... I was so mad lol. Now im super cautious about what I trust. So far the thread has covered Wolfram and Symbolab which are both solid for avoiding those hallucinations because they use symbolic math engines, but I have been absolutely obsessed with Maplesoft Maple Calculator lately! It is seriously fantastic for Calc 2 and discrete math because it actually understands the mathematical structure rather than just guessing the next word like gpt does. The handwriting recognition is like magic and way better than Lens ever was for my messy scribbles. It is way under your $15 budget too. It shows every single step so you dont get lost in the logic! It is such a lifesaver for those community college intensives, good luck in Seattle!

rmzvjzkkzy · Answer

Honestly, if gpt is failing you, you need a symbolic engine rather than a language model. I usually stick to WolframAlpha Pro Student Plan because it stays under $10 a month. It doesnt guess logic like gpt does.

WolframAlpha Pro Student Plan for accurate step-by-step logic

Microsoft Math Solver is free and handles handwriting well

Symbolab Pro Subscription is around $10 monthly Wolfram is the gold standard for discrete math tho.

VirginTrainWest · Answer

> gpt just makes up formulas that dont exist lol. i need something actually reliable for higher level stuff. I totally feel your pain with those LLM hallucinations! You gotta try Symbolab Pro Math Solver because its symbolic engine is way more reliable for Calc 2 than gpt. It's absolutely amazing for showing logic and only costs $7 a month! It uses a rule-based system so it wont hallucinate formulas. The handwriting scanner is fantastic too... youre gonna crush that intensive!