An AI physics tutor for forces, motion, energy and more

A 1,200 kg car accelerates from rest to 20 m/s in 8 s. What resultant force acts on it?

1. List what you know: mass $m = 1200\ \text{kg}$, initial velocity $u = 0$, final velocity $v = 20\ \text{m/s}$, time $t = 8\ \text{s}$. You need the force $F$.
2. Find the acceleration: $a = \dfrac{v - u}{t} = \dfrac{20 - 0}{8} = 2.5\ \text{m/s}^2$.
3. Use Newton's second law: $F = ma = 1200 \times 2.5 = 3000\ \text{N}$.

In a session the tutor asks you for each step ("What do you need to find first?") and checks your units. A follow-up question might be: how far does the car travel in those 8 s? (Average speed $10\ \text{m/s} \times 8\ \text{s} = 80\ \text{m}$.)

• Motion: speed, velocity, acceleration, distance-time and velocity-time graphs, equations of motion.
• Forces: resultant forces, Newton's laws, weight and mass, friction, momentum.
• Energy: kinetic and potential energy, work, power, efficiency, conservation of energy.
• Electricity: current, voltage and resistance, Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits.
• Waves: wave speed, reflection and refraction, the electromagnetic spectrum.
• Matter and more: density, pressure, particle model, magnetism, radioactivity.

Paste a homework question, describe what you've tried, or ask for a quick quiz before a test.

• Picture it first. It asks you to describe what's happening, often with a sketch on the whiteboard, before choosing an equation.
• Knowns and unknowns. Listing the quantities you have and need is the most reliable way to choose an equation.
• Units every time. It checks units and conversions (such as km/h to m/s, or g to kg) at each step.
• Check the answer makes sense. Is a 3,000 N force reasonable for a car? Is the sign of the velocity right?
• Concepts, not just formulas. If a calculation is right but the idea isn't clear, it asks a conceptual question to check.

Write your working on the whiteboard with a mouse, finger or stylus and ask the tutor to check your work. It reads your lines, says which are correct and points to the first one that goes wrong, for example a missed unit conversion or a sign error. If it can't read part of your writing, it asks you to type it.

Different courses use slightly different equation sheets, notation and values (for example $g = 9.8\ \text{N/kg}$ or $9.81\ \text{N/kg}$). Tell the tutor which course you're taking, or which values your teacher uses, and it will use them. We don't claim to cover any exam board's full specification.

It can't check your practical work or lab setup: follow your teacher's safety instructions for anything practical. AI tutors can also make mistakes in longer calculations, so the tutor shows its reasoning for you to follow, and you should compare important answers with your textbook or teacher.