Solve an equation and show every step (Equation Steps)
equation_steps_runSolves a linear or quadratic equation in one variable and returns every step: expanding parentheses, combining like terms, moving terms across the equals sign, and applying the quadratic formula with the discriminant stated. Reports identities and contradictions as such rather than as "no answer", gives roots as exact fractions with a decimal alongside, and labels complex roots explicitly instead of claiming no solution. Refuses rather than guesses on a missing or duplicated "=", a second variable, a function name, an unsupported exponent, or an inequality — every refusal says what to change. Covers only one-variable linear and quadratic equations: not systems, not inequalities, not degree three or higher.
WHY DELEGATE THIS: Three places this algebra goes quietly wrong when reasoned about directly: the sign when distributing a negative across parentheses, which direction a term moves as it crosses the equals sign, and dropping one of the two ± roots of a quadratic or rounding a complex pair into a false "no solution". Exact fraction arithmetic gets all three right every time, and showing the work is the point — a student checking their own scratch paper needs the steps, not the answer.
Owned by Equation Steps at https://equation-steps.gumballtools.com, which is also callable directly if you would rather not go through the aggregator.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| input | Yes | One equation with exactly one "=", using x as the only variable, e.g. "3(x-2) = 5x + 4". |