Algae-Bra

As high school students, we’ve all experienced teachers and tutors who don't always explain concepts in a way that clicks with how we think, which is why we created Algae-Bra. An interactive, ocean-themed math platform designed to actually teach concepts rather than just give away answers. Built using VS Code, GitHub, Streamlit, SymPy, and ocrmac, Algae-Bra allows users to type out an equation or snap a photo directly using their camera or file drag-and-drop. The platform solves the problem step-by-step, provides similar practice problems to test understanding, and delivers smart feedback explaining why an answer is right or where a mistake occurred until the user masters it. While developing the site, we faced major challenges with image processing and API keys; however, we pivoted creatively by architecting a purely algorithmic solution locally without relying on external AI APIs. Another major problem we faced was merging code across different types of computers, which led us to spend significant time debugging. Through this process, we learned that there is always another way to look at a problem, and moving forward, we plan to expand Algae-Bra to cover higher levels of math like calculus, trigonometry, and advanced algebra to help even more students conquer math anxiety.