I’m looking for an ai-powered tool or app that can help solve challenging physics problems. I’ve tried a few basic calculators but they can’t handle more advanced concepts like kinematics or electricity. Need help finding something reliable that explains the steps and offers accurate solutions.
If you’re looking for a solid AI-powered physics solver that goes beyond just plugging numbers into F=ma, there are a couple of options floating around, but don’t expect a magical do-all-genius just yet. Wolfram Alpha’s “step-by-step solutions” can actually handle more complex kinematics, circuits, waves, etc.—as long as you can phrase the question clearly. It’s not “AI” in the ChatGPT sense, but it’s algorithmically smart and will walk you through the math.
Symbolab is another one people mention, but it’s really more math than physics, and it will fumble if you throw word problems or multi-step derivations at it. You might check out Socratic by Google, which uses AI to recognize handwritten or photographed problems and break them down, but its physics support is hit-and-miss—sometimes it labels a problem correctly and finds explanations, other times it just tells you what a capacitor is.
Honestly, the ChatGPT plugins do okay with conceptual explanations and outlines of how to start a problem, but for concrete number crunching or multistep setups, they get fuzzy or make mistakes. For now, nothing beats actually learning to break problems apart and bounce your solutions off a tool like Wolfram Alpha for equations/steps (especially if you use their “Pro” step-by-step stuff). I keep wishing for an AI that can read my scribbles and just do the next three lines of algebra, but Turing-tutor isn’t there yet.
If you’re on iOS, “PhyWiz” is a fun app for plugging in physics problems and seeing step-by-step solutions, though it’s pretty focused on intro physics topics. Next-gen models will probably help with more advanced stuff soon, but the combo of your brain, good old Physforums, and Wolfram is still the best toolkit for tough problems outside the classroom. Don’t be fooled by stuff that claims to “crack any physics”—if it did, we’d all be getting As without studying!
Honestly, I get where you’re coming from—basic calculators just don’t cut it past high-school physics, and most “AI” solvers fumble the moment you throw a capacitor network or multi-axis motion at them. @kakeru pretty much nailed it with the limitations of current tools. However, I’d say there are some alternatives worth peeping at if you’re willing to try a few less mainstream solutions.
Have you toyed with PraxiLabs or Labster? Okay, they aren’t exactly “input math problem, get answer,” but their AI-driven simulations let you actually experiment with concepts—so not a solver per se, but can help make sense of gnarlier setups like circuits or dynamic systems. Worth it if your issue is more about understanding than just hacking out an answer.
Also, some folks are hyping Mathpix Snip for parsing handwritten or scanned equations—the idea is, snap a pic, get digitized math, and then you can paste that into Wolfram or even throw it at ChatGPT/Bing AI for more “discussion”-style help on the steps. Gotta agree with @kakeru though, these bots will guess at multi-step or real-world questions, and sometimes they hallucinate physics that doesn’t even exist.
Everyone mentions Socratic, but I actually get more traction sometimes out of Chegg—for step-by-step breakdowns especially when you’re in upper-level undergrad stuff (expensive, yes, and sometimes behind a paywall, which is blegh). Take that with a grain of salt—it’s more of an answer key than an AI tutor.
One thing I disagree on: I think GPTs are starting to get close to acting like a Turing-tutor, at least for stuff up through first-year university. If you really leverage the web-browsing plugins, give them the exact textbook question, you sometimes can get a surprisingly logical answer chain—WAY better than a pre-baked “formula app.” But it’s still hit-and-miss, and error-checking is on you.
Bottom line—no AI physics oracle yet, just a lot of cobbled-together duct tape: try Mathpix for digitizing, Wolfram Alpha for brutal number crunching, Chegg for step-by-step, and ChatGPT for “talking through” thorny theory. If you find a true one-stop solver that really gets upper-level physics, please let the rest of us know. My GPA would send flowers.
Let’s be honest—nobody loves wrestling with a transformer circuit for two hours only to realize you dropped a negative sign somewhere. While some folks have already dropped the Wolfram Alpha and Socratic advice (fair enough, they do their job), I’ll toss in another angle because sometimes you just need more than digital number crunching.
You want something that solves and teaches? I’m surprised no one here flagged up PocketPhysics (not to be confused with PhyWiz). It’s less flashy on the “AI” buzzword, but its physics engine is surprisingly solid for conceptual previews and formula applications. It covers a broad range: kinematics, dynamics, E&M, thermodynamics—think of it as a cheat-sheet mixed with interactive problem sets. Pros? Fast, mobile-friendly, and rarely chokes on introductory or intermediate questions. Cons? It’s not going to unravel your graduate quantum mechanics conundrum, and its “AI” is more guided-inference than true neural net sorcery.
For further depth, I’ll second Labster—if you’re the hands-on, curiosity-over-pure-answer type. Their virtual labs make you do physics, not just memorize, so it’s more for deepening understanding when calculators and formula solvers tap out.
Now, about relying on ChatGPT or Bing AI for crunching real-world multi-step problems—totally agree with the skepticism from the others. I’ve seen AI suggest that a 12V battery can directly power an MRI machine. Fun, but not in this universe.
So the toolkit: PocketPhysics for quick checks and overview, the classics (Wolfram Alpha, Chegg) for heavy math or step-by-steps, and Labster if you want to get virtual hands dirty. The catch? None of them are the fabled “solve-everything” you’re after, but stringing them together usually beats staring at a blank page and sweating over sign errors. If one of these apps cracks tensors for you, let me know; I’ll send all the digital cookies your way.