New ways to learn math and science in ChatGPT

ChatGPT has quickly become one of the most widely used tools for learning. Each week, 140 million people use ChatGPT to help them understand math and science concepts alone. People also come to ChatGPT to explore new topics, work through homework problems, prepare for exams, and break down concepts they’ve always found difficult.

For many learners, math and science concepts feel abstract and hard to understand. In a recent Gallup(opens in a new window) survey, more than half of U.S. adults said they struggle with math, and many parents reported they don’t feel confident helping their children learn it.

Today, we’re making learning these concepts in ChatGPT even more interactive with new dynamic visual explanations. Starting with more than 70 core math and science concepts, ChatGPT will guide learners by showing how formulas, variables, and relationships behave in real time. These experiences will be available globally across all plans starting today.

Research suggests(opens in a new window) that visual, interaction based learning can lead to stronger conceptual understanding than traditional instruction for many students. When learners can manipulate variables and instantly see the effects, they may be better able to internalize the relationships behind mathematical and scientific concepts.

Now when someone asks ChatGPT about one of the core topics, it can explain it and present an interactive visual module. Users can adjust variables, manipulate formulas, and instantly see how those changes affect graphs and outcomes—turning abstract equations into something they can experiment with directly.

“What stands out is how strongly this feature emphasizes conceptual understanding. When learning math, understanding why something works and how ideas connect helps concepts stick long term. I especially appreciate how it doesn’t stop at the original question but actively prompts you to extend thinking and explore deeper connections.”

To try it out, you can ask ChatGPT:

• Help me understand the Pythagorean Theorem
• Explain how PV=nRT works
• How can I find the area of a circle?

Helping people explore ideas, experiment with concepts, and build deeper understanding is one of the most meaningful ways we can bring the benefits of AI to people everywhere.

In early testing, college and high school age students said the interactive experience helped them better understand how variables relate to one another. Parents said it gave them a more dynamic way to walk through problems alongside their children. Educators said tools like this could help students understand how concepts work, instead of simply memorizing formulas.

This is just the beginning. Over time, we plan to expand interactive learning with additional subjects and continue building tools that strengthen learning with ChatGPT. This work builds on experiences like study mode, introduced last year to help students work through problems step by step, and quizzes(opens in a new window), which help users strengthen recall and prepare for exams.

The research landscape on how AI affects learning is still taking shape, but recent studies—including our findings on study mode—show promising early signals. Through partners in OpenAI’s NextGenAI initiative and the OpenAI Learning Lab, we will continue to advance research to better understand how AI shapes learning over time. We intend to publish findings, shape future product experiences based on these insights, and work side by side with the broader education ecosystem to ensure AI benefits learners worldwide.

Editor’s note: Interactive learning is rolling out starting today to all logged-in ChatGPT users. Today, the list of math and science topics is most relevant to high school and college age learners, and includes topics like binomial square, Charles’ law, circle area, circle equation, compound interest, cone surface area, cone volume, Coulomb’s law, cylinder volume, degrees of freedom, difference of squares, exponential decay, Hooke’s law, kinetic energy, lens equation, linear equation, Ohm’s law, period–frequency relation, potential energy, PV = nRT equation, Pythagorean theorem, slope–intercept form, surface area of sphere, triangle area, trig angle sum identity, and others.