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Simplify a complex taskGuide
Find the first wrong step in a calculation
Locate the first invalid arithmetic step, explain the rule, and practise one targeted correction.
Illustrative resourceNot tool-testedAdults who want a practical, low-stakes way to find the first wrong step in a calculation
What you’re working towards
Locate the first invalid arithmetic step, explain the rule, and practise one targeted correction. The worked result is a written example for practice; the AI steps have not been tested.
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Make a start
One step at a time.
3 steps
Start with the synthetic worked example or other non-sensitive inputs. Run one prompt at a time in your chosen AI tool. Replace any bracketed placeholders with the requested material, check each reply, and supply the source or earlier outputs that step needs. Paste them again if the tool lacks that context.
Start with the synthetic example, then adapt each prompt to your task.
01
Open a chat and paste the example
Open https://chatgpt.com and choose New chat. Copy every line under Input in this guide into the message box. Then add the prompt below (the instructions telling the assistant what to do) and send both together. Expect a written response shaped like the example under Output. The wording may differ. If the assistant asks for information already in the input, point to that line; if a necessary fact is missing, keep it unknown rather than guessing.
Your starting prompt
Inspect the learner’s four calculation steps above. Identify the first invalid step, explain only that error, and distinguish it from a later calculation that is internally correct. Show a repaired calculation. Add one similar practice problem and put its full answer in a clearly separate Answer section.
02
Check the specific result
Check the first error is Step 3, not Step 2 or Step 4. Independently calculate 36 × 4 = 144, 360 + 144 = 504, and the practice answer 23 × 14 = 322. Compare it with the Input yourself. If the response fails a check, paste the correction prompt below into the same chat. Recheck the corrected version before saving it.
Your starting prompt
Recheck the calculation line by line. Mark the earliest false equality, retain the valid distribution in Step 2, and explain that 360 + 36 = 396 is arithmetically correct but inherits the earlier wrong product. Correct any numerical error.
03
Try it with your own example
Open a new chat. Copy the prompt below, then replace [PASTE YOUR INPUT HERE] with your own non-sensitive facts and rules. Include the kinds of details listed under Requirements. Send the whole message. Expect the same kind of result as this guide, using your values. Compare every name, number and rule with your input. If something differs, point to the exact mismatch and ask for a corrected complete answer. Save only a version you have checked.
Your starting prompt
Inspect my numbered calculation steps below. Identify the first invalid step and explain that specific error. Distinguish it from a later operation that is internally correct but uses a wrong earlier value. Show a repaired calculation. Add one similar practice problem and put its answer in a clearly separate Answer section.
Use only the new input below. If a fact needed to finish is missing, ask me for it before choosing an answer.
MY INPUT
[PASTE YOUR INPUT HERE]
Optional: improve the result
Ask the learner to repair the error
Use the diagnosis to prompt a correction rather than showing a replacement immediately. This extension uses the worked example. Return to that example chat, or paste its input and your checked example answer into a new chat first. Do not apply its sample values unchanged to your own input.
Advanced prompt
For a new learner attempt I paste next, identify only the first wrong step and ask one question that helps me repair it. Withhold the corrected product until I ask or submit another attempt.
Show, then try
See the shape of the result.
This input is synthetic. The output is a written illustration of the intended result, not a verified AI-tool run.
01 / The starting point
Synthetic input
Made-up example for practice.
Made-up learner calculation for 36 × 14:
Step 1: 36 × 14 = 36 × (10 + 4).
Step 2: = (36 × 10) + (36 × 4).
Step 3: = 360 + 36.
Step 4: = 396.
Task: find the first wrong step, explain the narrow mistake, repair the calculation, then give one similar practice problem with the answer kept under a separate Answer section. This is an arithmetic exercise, not a transaction.
Copies text only. For image or file tasks, use the source files named in the steps too.
Written example for practice; not a recorded AI response.
First wrong step: Step 3.
Steps 1 and 2 correctly split 14 into 10 + 4. In Step 3, 36 × 4 was replaced by 36, but multiplying by 4 means four groups of 36: 144.
Corrected calculation
36 × 14 = (36 × 10) + (36 × 4) = 360 + 144 = 504.
Step 4 correctly adds the two numbers written in Step 3, but those numbers came from the earlier error.
Practice
Calculate 23 × 14 by splitting 14 into 10 + 4. Try it before reading the next section.
Answer
23 × 14 = 230 + 92 = 322.
These checks use the worked example and its particular facts. With your own material, check your actual names, numbers, sources and rules; do not reuse the sample’s values as the answer.
Unsaved checks stay in this tab and reset when you reload. If you choose Save guide, its current example checkmarks are kept in this browser when storage is available.
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A few things to watch for.
Marking every later line as a separate misconception can confuse the learner. Find the first error and explain how it propagates.
One mistake does not establish a broad learning difficulty. Keep feedback tied to the written work.