I do not watch TV that much but sometimes I indulge myself in watching a little bit of the Big Bang Theory sitcom. In one of the episodes of Big Bang Theory, the genius trio decide to make their own Android app – an app that can solve mathematical equations from textbooks or exam papers by scanning them using the camera. I found this idea of equation solver app very interesting and quickly googled whether such an app already exists. To my surprise, there is already an app called PhotoMath that can scan equations using the camera and then solve them successfully.
Unlike the fictitious app of Big Bang Theory that could solve Differential Equations without any problem, the PhotoMath app is not able to solve such equations of complex nature. But it can solve basic algebraic equations in a fraction of a second along with displaying their complete step by step solution.
In order to solve an equation, all you have to do is start the PhotoMath app and point the camera on the target equation by keeping the equation within the red corners. PhotoMath automatically recognizes the equation and solves it. You will hear a sound when it solves the equation and displays the result.
In these screenshots, I have used an example from a very old high school algebra textbook that I found in the local library. The PhotoMath app found a little difficulty scanning the old print from the old book, but it solved all the problems one after another.
Verdict: PhotoMath can help every student of mathematics understand how equations can be solved step by step. It can be used both when someone does not how to solve an equation and when you want to quickly solve an equation without using pen and paper.
You can get PhotoMath for Android from https://photomath.net/.