ed-master-smartsolver 0.1.0

Step-by-step mathematics solver built on SymPy — equations, calculus, and annotated rules.

SmartSolver

SmartSolver is a step-by-step mathematics engine built on SymPy. It powers worked solutions inside Ed-Master — showing not just the final answer, but the rules and identities applied along the way.

The implementation lives in math_step_tracker.py (class SmartSolver).

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Features

Area	What SmartSolver shows
Equations	Linear & quadratic solving, discriminant steps
Trigonometry	Quotient, Pythagorean, double-angle identities; tan reduction
Logarithms & exponentials	Log product/power rules, log(x) = c → x = e^c, a^x = b
Differentiation	Sum, product, power, chain rule labels
Integration	Partial fractions, LIATE-based integration by parts, direct rules
Limits	Setup, direct substitution where valid, final limit
Partial fractions	Factor denominator, decompose, integrate term-by-term

Each step includes a description, expression, LaTeX, and rule applied.

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Requirements

• Python 3.10+ (requires-python in pyproject.toml)
• SymPy ≥ 1.13

Supported Python versions

Status	Versions
Minimum	Python 3.10
Tested	Python 3.10, 3.11, 3.12, 3.13

Only list versions you actually test. Do not claim support for unreleased major versions (e.g. Python 4.x or fictional 7.x).

pip install ed-master-smartsolver

Import in Python (package module name is smartsolver):

from smartsolver import SmartSolver

Or install SymPy only when using from source:

pip install sympy

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Quick start

from smartsolver import SmartSolver, StepRenderer, serialize_solver_result

solver = SmartSolver()

# Solve a quadratic
result = solver.solve_equation("x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0", "x")
print(StepRenderer.to_text(result["steps"]))
print("Solutions:", result["solutions"])

# JSON-friendly payload (for APIs)
payload = serialize_solver_result(result)
print(payload["steps_latex"])

When running from a git checkout (editable install):

pip install -e .

from smartsolver import SmartSolver

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Input notation

SmartSolver accepts student-style strings:

You type	Parsed as
x^2 or x**2	x squared
5x	5*x
2x - 4	2x - 4 = 0 (equation assumed zero)
sin(x), cos(x), log(x)	SymPy trig / natural log
2**x	exponential

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Operations

solve_equation(equation, variable='x')

Solve an equation with step-by-step working.

solver.solve_equation("sin(x) - cos(x) = 0", "x")
solver.solve_equation("2**x - 8 = 0", "x")
solver.solve_equation("log(x) - 3 = 0", "x")

Returns: steps, solutions, solution_latex

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differentiate(expression, variable='x', order=1)

Differentiate with rule labels (sum, power, chain, etc.).

solver.differentiate("x**2 + 3*x", "x")
solver.differentiate("sin(x)**2", "x", order=1)

Returns: steps, derivative, derivative_latex

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integrate(expression, variable='x', lower=None, upper=None)

Integrate with method tracking.

solver.integrate("x*exp(x)", "x")           # integration by parts (LIATE)
solver.integrate("1/(x**2 - 1)", "x")      # partial fractions
solver.integrate("x**2", "x", lower="0", upper="1")  # definite

Returns: steps, integral, integral_latex, methods (e.g. ['Integration by parts'])

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partial_fractions(expression, variable='x')

Decompose a rational expression without integrating.

solver.partial_fractions("(2*x + 3)/((x - 1)*(x + 2))")

Returns: steps, decomposition, decomposition_latex

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limit(expression, variable='x', point='0', direction='+')

Evaluate a limit with setup steps.

solver.limit("sin(x)/x", "x", point="0", direction="+")

Returns: steps, limit, limit_latex

---

Helper utilities

from smartsolver import (
    StepRenderer,
    serialize_solver_result,
    normalize_math_input,
    parse_math,
    step_to_dict,
)

# Human-readable steps
StepRenderer.to_text(steps)
StepRenderer.to_latex(steps)
StepRenderer.to_html(steps)

# API / JSON serialization
serialize_solver_result(result)

Optional helpers (Ed-Master Math Lab)

If you also ship edmathlab.py alongside this package, it provides stdout-friendly wrappers. They are not included in the PyPI wheel by default.

---

REST API (Ed-Master platform)

When the Django backend is running, authenticated users can call:

POST /api/math/steps/
Content-Type: application/json

Body:

{
  "operation": "solve",
  "expression": "x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0",
  "variable": "x"
}

Operations: solve, differentiate, integrate, limit, partial_fractions

Response fields: steps, steps_text, steps_html, steps_latex, result, result_latex, operation

Requires a signed-in Ed-Master session (JWT cookie).

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Result structure

Each step is a Step dataclass:

@dataclass
class Step:
    description: str   # e.g. "Apply the quotient identity"
    expression: str    # SymPy string at this step
    latex: str         # LaTeX rendering
    rule_applied: str  # e.g. "Quotient identity", "LIATE: choose u"
    substeps: list     # nested steps (reserved)

serialize_solver_result() flattens this for JSON APIs and adds rendered steps_text, steps_html, and steps_latex.

---

Example session

from smartsolver import SmartSolver, StepRenderer

s = SmartSolver()

print("=== Quadratic ===")
r = s.solve_equation("x^2 + 5x + 6 = 0")
print(StepRenderer.to_text(r["steps"]))

print("=== Trig ===")
r = s.solve_equation("sin(x) - cos(x) = 0")
print(StepRenderer.to_text(r["steps"]))

print("=== Integration by parts ===")
r = s.integrate("x*exp(x)")
print(StepRenderer.to_text(r["steps"]))
print("Answer:", r["integral"])
print("Methods:", r["methods"])

---

Scope & limitations

SmartSolver is designed for education, not as a replacement for a full computer algebra system.

• Trig: covers common identities and reduction; general periodic solution sets are simplified.
• Logs: strongest on combinable logs and log(f(x)) = constant forms.
• Partial fractions: requires a proper rational form; improper rationals use polynomial division first.
• Integration by parts: one LIATE-guided pass; does not recurse automatically.
• u-substitution: basic patterns only.

SymPy still performs the underlying symbolic work; SmartSolver adds annotated steps around it.

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Running tests

pip install -e ".[dev]"
python -m unittest discover -s tests -v

Or a quick smoke test:

python -c "from smartsolver import SmartSolver; print(SmartSolver().solve_equation('x-2=0')['solutions'])"

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Project layout

.                            # repository root (this folder)
├── __init__.py              # public exports
├── math_step_tracker.py     # SmartSolver core
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
├── pyproject.toml           # PEP 517 build (no setup.py)
└── tests/
    └── test_smartsolver.py

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Roadmap

• PyPI packaging scaffold (ed-master-smartsolver)
• Recursive integration by parts
• Richer trig general solutions
• Public “Try SmartSolver” demo page on Ed-Master

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Links

• Platform: ed-master.co.za
• Try Math Lab: ed-master.co.za/try/math-lab
• Research projects: ed-master.co.za/projects

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License

MIT — see LICENSE.