How many tabs does it take to crack a math problem? According to many students, the limit does not exist.
A calculator for quick checks, an online solver for steps, a couple YouTube videos for concepts… then back to notes to stitch it all together. We’ve heard about this painstaking, often frustrating, experience from many of you.
Goodnotes AI’s advanced math capabilities, including Solve and Teach Me, is our response: All the support you need right in your notes, with a focus on two things most tools or resources don’t combine well—a path to the answer and a path to understanding.
Here’s a look into how we approached this challenge, as part of our ongoing series about how we’re evolving Goodnotes with and for you.
Two different needs, one integrated solution
We heard from many educators and students that there’s often two distinct modes when learning math. Sometimes you need to get unstuck quickly—you know the concept but missed a step or want to verify your approach. Other times you're starting from zero and need to build understanding from the ground up.
Many AI tools in particular are great for providing quick answers, but that shortcut often undermines actual learning. Meanwhile, lengthy explainer content can often be at the wrong level or hard to bridge to the actual problem you’re solving.
So we built features in Goodnotes AI that better address both needs:
- Solve breaks down problems step-by-step in detail, with explanations provided for each step. It indicates which method is being used to solve the problem and also lets you choose alternative solving methods, for when you want to expand your understanding or focus on a specific concept. It's great for when you need to see where things went wrong or want to work backwards from the solution.
- Teach Me takes a different approach. It explains the underlying concept first, then guides you through with questions at your own pace. You can think through each step before proceeding to the next, pause, ask follow-ups—whatever you need to make sure you’ve mastered the concepts.
Building for accuracy and reliability
AI and math have a complicated relationship. We've all seen those viral screenshots of AI confidently getting basic problems wrong. For a math learning tool, accuracy is critical.
Based on our understanding of both the technical challenge and user experience, we built essential safeguards:
- Before any computation happens, Goodnotes AI shows you exactly how it interpreted your problem with a confirmation card. It’s a small detail, but it catches recognition errors before they become wrong answers.
- For the beta, we're also integrating Wolfram|Alpha's LLM API—the computational engine behind much of the reliable math you find online. Goodnotes AI handles the conversation and explanations with one model, then draws on Wolfram|Alpha’s capabilities for thinking through the math.
Support right within your notes
The problem of juggling tabs isn’t just about tedium and time, but about the challenging of your flow being constantly disrupted while you’re trying to study.
To keep you focused on what’s important, we’ve built Goodnotes AI’s math capabilities to seamlessly integrate into how you already work. If your problem is handwritten on a page, you can simply lasso it to get help. Other times you want to type a fresh question—that works too.
You can also add context to guide the AI. Working on quadratic equations? Tell it to focus on factoring or the quadratic formula. It’s there to support you in what and how you want to learn
How do you best learn math?
We built Goodnotes AI and its math capabilities to help you, and we’d love for you to try it out and let us know what works. Your insights help us improve the product for you and other learners.