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Google Lens to Offer Math Homework Help

Credit: 9to5Google

Sure beats expensive graphing calculators.

Math was always my worst subject growing up. There was always so many circumstantial rules and exceptions that I could never fit it all in my head, and if I ever asked my dad for help with a problem, he’d usually just say “you tell me.” Because that’s really helpful. Luckily, kids these days no longer need to ask their dads for help with math. They can just ask Google!


Google recently revealed a new filter for Google Lens, their AR scanning camera app. Google Lens can take a picture of something, then connect to the internet to identify it and provide information. The new filter, aptly named “Homework,” allows you to take a picture of mathematical equations and receive step-by-step instructions on how to solve it with several different methods.

“When a student turns to Google Search for help with STEM homework this fall, Search will connect them to potential explanations, a step-by-step breakdown for complex math equations and detailed information on the underlying concepts, like the notorious pythagorean theorem. These features help improve comprehension and understanding of core topics,” Jennifer Holland, Google’s Director of Education Program Management, said in a blog post.

Credit: 9to5Google

The Homework filter is built off of a base provided by Socratic, an education app with a similar functionality that Google acquired last year. In addition to mathematical assistance, Socratic, and by extension the Homework filter, offers assistance on over 100 different STEM topics, including 3D models things like biology and chemistry.

Google hasn’t divulged when exactly the Homework filter will be available in Google Lens, though you can use Socratic now if you don’t mind downloading a separate app. Of course, like illicit calculators before it, the Homework filter could provide an avenue for cheating, so you may want to make sure your kid doesn’t have their phone within arm’s reach while doing homework.

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