ChatGPTs reads your math problem from paper and solves it

ChatGPT offers even more potential than feared by teachers. Don't tell your kids ;-)

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The landscape of learning and technology is ever-evolving, and a recent personal experience has exemplified this beautifully. I found myself assisting my daughter with a math problem, where she was engaged in the time-honored tradition of transcribing numbers into a pocket calculator. This antiquated method, reliable as it may seem, sparked a question in my mind: Could the new All Tools version of ChatGPT streamline this process?

Driven by curiosity, I embarked on a trial to test ChatGPT's capabilities in interpreting and solving handwritten math problems. To my astonishment, the platform not only read the numbers from an image but applied its comprehensive functionalities to process the data.

Unlike its predecessors, this new version of ChatGPT doesn't rely on unpredictable emergent calculation abilities. Instead, it smartly circumvents these limitations by invoking a Python script, ensuring a reliable and precise solution to the mathematical query. This innovative approach guarantees accuracy that can sometimes be lost in heuristic methods.

Upon discovering ChatGPT's capabilities, I embarked on creating MathSolver, a specialized CustomGPT (read my blog post about How to buid a CustomGPT here) tailored to not just solve mathematical problems but also to assist school students in grasping the methodologies behind these solutions. This innovation proved effective, and I progressively challenged MathSolver with more complex problems. The ultimate test arrived when I presented it with a photograph of a math problem from my daughter's school textbook. To my satisfaction, MathSolver successfully decoded and solved it.

Let’s start with a simple calculation:

The following example shows that MathSolver is able to solve simple equations:

The math is done with Python:

But is even able to handle more complex problems using Pythagora’s theorem:

And finally I asked MathSolver to solve a problem from my daugther’s math book:

This experiment underscores a pivotal aspect of ChatGPT: its ability to interpret mathematical problems directly from photographs. Utilizing Python for calculations, it ensures accuracy and avoids potential errors in reasoning or 'hallucinations' often associated with AI responses. MathSolver stands out as an invaluable tool for students, offering not just solutions but also insights into problem-solving techniques. While generally effective, it's important to note that this system isn't infallible and doesn't guarantee 100% reliability. Nonetheless, the success of MathSolver illustrates the vast potential and utility of CustomGPTs in educational contexts.