3 answers
Tammy
Student
Oshkosh, Wisconsin
1
Question
Asked
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What are some good math apps that can help me UNDERSTAND what I'm doing? I will likely be taking a statistical class.
Context: Math is my absolute worst subject. It stopped me from going to a 4-year out of high school (fear of failure). I have to take one math class despite my already 2 transferred classes from my other tech, and I'm only doing a 2-year program.
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3 answers
Pranay Nath
Tutor
5
Answers
Sunnyvale, California
Updated
Pranay’s Answer
Thanks for the context — super helpful. Since math feels overwhelming and you’re heading into statistics, I’ll keep this list focused on apps that explain, not just give answers. The goal is to help you understand why something works, not just how to solve it.
Here are some of the best math apps for deep understanding, especially for statistics and general math anxiety:
1. Khan Academy
Free lessons that explain concepts like you're five — really solid for stats, probability, and foundational math. You can go at your own pace, rewind, or rewatch as many times as needed.
2. Desmos
Great for visual learners. While it's known for graphing, it also helps you see how functions, probabilities, and trends behave. Super useful in stats for understanding distributions.
3. StatMagic
Built for intro stats students. It helps explain hypothesis testing, p-values, z-scores, and confidence intervals in simple, step-by-step English.
4. Photomath
Scan a math problem, and it gives step-by-step explanations (not just answers). Really helpful when you're stuck mid-problem and don’t know how to continue.
5. Wolfram Alpha (with explanations turned on)
It’s powerful for anything math-related, including stats. Ask it natural-language questions like “find mean and standard deviation of...” — and it will break it down for you.
6. Math is Fun (Website, not app)
Old-school look, but gold for basic math and statistics. It explains every concept in clear, plain English with diagrams and examples.
7. Brighterly (for fundamentals)
Geared toward younger learners, but really good if you feel your foundation is weak. It uses games and examples to teach why things work, not just what the rule is.
Here are some of the best math apps for deep understanding, especially for statistics and general math anxiety:
1. Khan Academy
Free lessons that explain concepts like you're five — really solid for stats, probability, and foundational math. You can go at your own pace, rewind, or rewatch as many times as needed.
2. Desmos
Great for visual learners. While it's known for graphing, it also helps you see how functions, probabilities, and trends behave. Super useful in stats for understanding distributions.
3. StatMagic
Built for intro stats students. It helps explain hypothesis testing, p-values, z-scores, and confidence intervals in simple, step-by-step English.
4. Photomath
Scan a math problem, and it gives step-by-step explanations (not just answers). Really helpful when you're stuck mid-problem and don’t know how to continue.
5. Wolfram Alpha (with explanations turned on)
It’s powerful for anything math-related, including stats. Ask it natural-language questions like “find mean and standard deviation of...” — and it will break it down for you.
6. Math is Fun (Website, not app)
Old-school look, but gold for basic math and statistics. It explains every concept in clear, plain English with diagrams and examples.
7. Brighterly (for fundamentals)
Geared toward younger learners, but really good if you feel your foundation is weak. It uses games and examples to teach why things work, not just what the rule is.
Jason White
Lead Product Manager- Network Security
179
Answers
Dallas, Texas
Updated
Jason’s Answer
Hey Tammy,
As a fellow "struggled with stats" student. The biggest help for me was going to office hours with my teacher and getting a tutor. The 1:1 walking through step by step and taking notes as we did the process was extremely helpful to me as statistics can be very step by step process driven. Usually there are tutors offered by your school and of course your professor has office hours. That's where I would start and what helped me make it through. before long I had a study group with other students.
As a fellow "struggled with stats" student. The biggest help for me was going to office hours with my teacher and getting a tutor. The 1:1 walking through step by step and taking notes as we did the process was extremely helpful to me as statistics can be very step by step process driven. Usually there are tutors offered by your school and of course your professor has office hours. That's where I would start and what helped me make it through. before long I had a study group with other students.
Andrew Au
Professor of Mathematics & Statistics, Retired
226
Answers
Updated
Andrew’s Answer
Mathematics is a language. There is no easy way to learn mathematics but practice, practice, and practice. No apps can instill knowledge in you.
Furthermore, learning mathematics is a sequential process. Hence, you should build up your mathematics knowledge from the ground up. If you are weak in pre-algebra, go back to pre-algebra and work your way up. With patience and perseverance, you should reach the appropriate level of competency and proficiency to take on statistics.
Furthermore, learning mathematics is a sequential process. Hence, you should build up your mathematics knowledge from the ground up. If you are weak in pre-algebra, go back to pre-algebra and work your way up. With patience and perseverance, you should reach the appropriate level of competency and proficiency to take on statistics.