Build your math mind

What math problems can Photomath solve?

Perhaps you’d agree that math is, to put it lightly, a wild ride. You deserve to feel supported and confident as you work through challenging problems and new methods, and we want to be your safe place to learn!

Photomath was created by a dad who wanted a better way to help his own kids with their math homework — so we’re serious when we say that meaningful, accurate math help is always our goal for you and your homework, too.

But what homework can we actually help you understand? Which subjects can we explain? What can we really walk you through, step by step?

Let’s take a look.

What subjects can Photomath explain?

Photomath is your resident zero-judgment tutor for all things math. From counting and conversions, to volume and vectors, we can help you understand a wide range of math topics, no matter where you are in your learning journey.

Here are some of the topics we cover:

Elementary math

Math always comes back to core foundational concepts, so it’s crucial to have a strong understanding of the basics like addition, subtraction, multiplication, fractions, and decimals. Luckily, we can help you with all that arithmetic (and lots more!).

Pro tip: Our exclusive Animated Tutorials are super helpful for developing strong visual references for these important fundamentals.

Algebra

In our opinion, this is where math learning really gets exciting! We’ve got loads of algebra coverage so that you can stay calm and collected, even when letters start showing up. Quadratic equations, linear equations, inequalities… Chances are, if you’re solving for a variable, we can help you find it.

We can even show you how to *function* (get it?) when you get into more advanced algebra!

Geometry

This is a big one for all of us because we’ve! got! shapes! If you’re puzzled by perimeters, tired of triangles, or dreading diameters, we can help you break it down into easy-to-follow steps. Because of the visual nature of this branch of math, we also highly recommend watching Animated Tutorials for geometry when you see them pop up!

Trigonometry

We won’t lie: Trig can be intimidating. But there’s no need to sigh when it comes to sine, because we’ve got your back with trigonometry, too! When you take it one step at a time with us, you’re sure to find the right *angle* (sorry, we had to) for that tricky problem.

Another tip from us: Be sure to scroll all the way down on the solution screen to see a graph of what you scanned.

Calculus

Matrices, derivatives, integrals, oh my! From pre-calculus to calculus, we can still help you when you reach these advanced topics. This is often when it’s really helpful to see theorems and rules explained in context — so don’t worry; we do that, too.

Word problems

You asked, and trust us: we heard you. That’s why we now support word problems (!!!). So if you need to figure out which train got to the station first, or how many apples Deborah sold on Tuesday, you can now do that with us, step by step. And if we can’t find your exact problem, we’ll show you something similar so that you can put the pieces together like the smarty-pants you are.

As you can see, it’s usually helpful to have Photomath in your back pocket (literally). That said, there are some times that we [*dramatic nervous pause*] don’t help as much as we’d like…

What if Photomath can’t solve my problem?

We can solve a lot — and we have solved billions of math problems for millions of students around the world — but that doesn’t really matter if we can’t help you with the problem right in front of you.

Perfection shouldn’t be the goal when it comes to learning, but we do strive to provide you with math help 100% of the time. When we fall short of that, we totally understand your frustration, and we work hard to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

But what does that really mean?

A peek behind the screens: What happens to unsolved problems?

Yes, the bad news is that there are some problems we haven’t solved yet. The good news? We really are working on it!

We keep track of every single scanned problem so that we can both train our technology and send them to our stellar mathematicians, who are constantly solving what we couldn’t before (even word problems!). The more a problem gets scanned, the more we understand it needs to be solved ASAP; in other words, the more you scan, the more we learn! So please, don’t get too discouraged if we can’t help you just yet — just keep scanning, and we’ll get right on it.

Set up for success: Scanning technique tips

Often, we can actually help with a problem, but we can’t quite recognize it due to scanning issues. If you get that pesky error message, try retaking your photo using these tips:

Make sure only one problem is in the frame (adjust the corners of the viewfinder to crop!). We might get confused if there’s more than one problem in your photo.
Include all relevant information, like given coordinate values that we need to solve an equation. Otherwise, it might be impossible for anyone to solve!
Check that your problem is legible, especially if it’s handwritten. If it’s hard for someone else to read, it might be difficult for us to read, too.
Steady your hands so that your photo isn’t too blurry.

If you’re still not getting what you need, we’re sorry, and we hear you. We always recommend trying another problem, because one unsolved problem doesn’t necessarily mean we can’t help you at all.

Our simple but thorough, step-by-step approach has helped millions of students survive and even thrive in their math classes, year after year. We love being your study buddy — whenever and wherever you need us — as your learning reaches new heights, new challenges, and new classes.

In fact, we’re learning and growing right alongside you.

And we won’t stop if you don’t.