PhotoMath uses your smartphone's camera to solve math problems

[Shawn Knight]

Math was never my strongest subject in school. While I could manage geometry and trig, other parts of mathematics like algebra and calculus just never clicked with me. Perhaps if I had MicroBlink’s latest app, I might have fared a bit better (ok, probably not).

The company’s latest app is called PhotoMath. It uses your camera’s smartphone to scan math problems from a textbook and not only solve them, but show you the steps necessary to do it on your own. Think of it as Word Lens for math problems.

The idea is that you can get the solution to a problem without having to flip to the back of your textbook for the answers.

An app like this is ripe for abuse – zipping through homework and cheating on a test immediately come to mind – although MicroBlink likely isn’t too concerned about it. I say that because MicroBlink readily admits it isn’t an education company and that PhotoMath is simply being used to promote their text recognition engine.

As TechCrunch points out, MicroBlink is in the business of selling its core technologies to other companies that may have a use for it. This latest product has been in development for three years and is finally mature enough to put on the market. PhotoMath is just one potential use.

PhotoMath is available free of charge for iOS and Windows Phone devices. A version for Android is expected to hit the Google Play Store early next year.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/58524-photomath-uses-smartphone-camera-solve-math-problems.html

 

[VitalyT]

Just who are they trying to help with this app? It seems only to attract cheats from secondary schools, nobody else.

Making sure that every next generation is dumber than the previous one, that's all it will do.

 

[stewi0001]

This reminds me of that Big Bang episode where they make their own app

 

[Guest]

My Cal2 professor assigns problems in the book that do not have the answers in the back. The point of the homework is to learn how to do the problem. If you think you are doing the problem correctly, but are in fact doing it incorrectly, you will only fail the test. I use tools like integral calculator to compare my answer with the right answer to help me figure out what I'm doing wrong. You can't really use these tools for cheating because, in my experience, math teachers give no credit if you don't show your work.

 

[Megalithic]

Just who are they trying to help with this app? It seems only to attract cheats from secondary schools, nobody else.

Making sure that every next generation is dumber than the previous one, that's all it will do.

I would pay $50.00 for this app I deal with math all day everyday. it would help stop the migrains.

 

[yRaz]

Just who are they trying to help with this app? It seems only to attract cheats from secondary schools, nobody else.

Making sure that every next generation is dumber than the previous one, that's all it will do.

It says in the article that it is basically an advertisement for their photo recognition algorithms and they are looking at selling the technology to other companies.

 

[Guest]

It's really a demo and while interesting not that great. It does not understand hand written numbers or numbers on a monitor, they must be printed out. It's not that fast and would not be a good instrument for cheating hence why they are not concerned about it. A nice calculator would be much better for math problems.

 

[Guest]

Math is for IT what the Moon is for the Sun, if you don't know how to organize yourself ...

 

[Guest]

Math is for IT what the Moon is for the Sun, if you don't know how to organize yourself ...

Therefore, I'm finishing with-> if the earth can't see the light, blindness ... and human invented sources of energy ... the light is the process of organization that allows to improve accuracy and reduce speculation ...

The time asks the time how many time the time has ...

 

[treetops]

Well now at least its not just the rich kids who can cheat.

 

[Littleczr]

Professors ban phones on test as it is. The usefulness on this is showing you how they came up with the answer. I wonder if it will recognize handwriting as well.

 

[Tstriano81]

My Cal2 professor assigns problems in the book that do not have the answers in the back. The point of the homework is to learn how to do the problem. If you think you are doing the problem correctly, but are in fact doing it incorrectly, you will only fail the test. I use tools like integral calculator to compare my answer with the right answer to help me figure out what I'm doing wrong. You can't really use these tools for cheating because, in my experience, math teachers give no credit if you don't show your work.

You are also not a high school or middle school student!! I love how my students get all their homework correct and them bomb their quizzes! Gee I wonder why - now let's think of creative ways to explain why to their parents in a conference. Younger kids do not care about the responsible way to use such a tool - they only care about getting the right answer "the grade" and figure they will just "bs" the steps on an assessment; as if teachers are dumb and their in a history class where grading is subjective. I agree with VitalyT 150% - ha do the math there!!

 

[Tstriano81]

Professors ban phones on test as it is. The usefulness on this is showing you how they came up with the answer. I wonder if it will recognize handwriting as well.

Kids DO NOT CARE if they learn the steps! They only care about getting the right answer. Then by the time they get to the more complicated ones, they already cheated through the foundational steps and are too far behind to go back. Math builds with each chapter and if they are just cheating through the homework to get that "a" by copying the steps and answers down that this app conveniently gives them, then they lost the foundational knowledge for which they should have tried to figure out on their own. This is where learning gaps get created and they fail - they get too far behind by the time they realize they cheated themselves that whole time. Meanwhile parents sit there confused as to why their kids cannot pass tests when they do so so well on their homework!! Oh and then let's add how they love to blame the teachers for that. Teachers are defenseless against this app!!