Photomath

Photomath solves math problems from a photograph. You frame an equation with the camera, the app recognizes it, and it returns an answer along with a step-by-step breakdown of how that answer was reached. Anything the scanner misreads, or anything you would rather type, can be entered through a built-in math keyboard that handles fractions, roots, exponents, and other notation that a standard keyboard cannot. Coverage runs from arithmetic and fractions through algebra, trigonometry, and into calculus topics such as derivatives and integrals, along with graphing for functions where a visual helps. The step display is the substantive part: each line of working can be expanded to show which rule or manipulation was applied, so a student stuck partway through can find the specific move they missed instead of only seeing a final number. Recognition of clean printed textbook problems is strong; handwriting is more variable, and messy digits, cramped layouts, or poor lighting produce errors, so checking that the scanned expression matches what is on the page is a necessary habit. It suits students working through homework without a tutor at hand, and parents who want to help with material they last saw decades ago. Teachers have mixed views for obvious reasons, since the same tool that explains a method also produces answers to copy, and how much a student learns depends entirely on whether they read the steps. Word problems and proof-style questions remain weak spots, as the app works from symbolic expressions rather than prose. Some explanation depth and the animated tutorials are reserved for the paid tier.

Pro

• Expandable working shows which rule was applied at each stage, which lets a stuck student locate the exact step they misunderstood instead of just copying down a final answer.
• The built-in math keyboard handles fractions, exponents, and radicals cleanly, providing a dependable fallback whenever the camera struggles with handwriting or an awkwardly printed textbook page.
• Subject coverage is unusually broad for a scanning tool, running from basic arithmetic through algebra and trigonometry into calculus, so it stays useful across several years of schooling.

Con

• Recognition accuracy drops sharply with handwritten, cramped, or poorly lit problems, and an undetected misread of a single character produces a confidently presented solution to the wrong question.
• Word problems, proofs, and anything expressed mainly in prose fall outside what the app handles, since it operates on symbolic expressions rather than interpreting written mathematical reasoning.
• The richer explanations and animated tutorials require a subscription, and the tool's ease of use makes copying answers without reading the steps a genuine temptation for students.