This Smartphone App Can Solve Your Handwritten Math Problems

Complex math problems are a tough thing to learn, but a new app is hoping to make that task easier for students. Mathpix is a smartphone app that promises it can solve any math problem, even if it’s handwritten, just by taking a picture of it.

Users simply need to fire up the app and point their smartphone’s camera at the problem in question. It will highlight the equation in green, as if your smartphone was redeeming a gift card. The equation is then sent to Mathpix’s servers where, according to lead developer Nicolas Jimenez, Mathpix’s team of pros have taught the system “powerful deep learning algorithms to read math by feeding them large amounts of training data.” He also told Motherboard that the app’s “algorithms get smarter over time as we get data from users.”

Rather than just spit out the answers, Mathpix lays out a step-by-step guide on how to solve the problem. The app is aimed at high school students who are taking their first stabs at learning algebra, graphing, and calculus.

Mathpix is free and only available for iOS devices. Check out the demo below.

Mathpix Demo from August Trollbäck on Vimeo.

[h/t Motherboard]