How come Chat cannot do simple math?

ChatGPT
18

Hi @MeMyself :wave:
Welcome :people_hugging: to the community!

ChatGPT is an AI trained to understand and generate language based on patterns. However, it is not a dedicated calculator or spreadsheet. When you ask it to add numbers, it tries to calculate them, but instead of following a strict arithmetic process like a calculator, it generates answers based on what it “predicts” is correct. This can lead to errors, especially with long or complex calculations.

Please, look at the image here from my chat:

polepole
polepole1284×2570 163 KB

The image I shared is a simple way to understand this.

For example:

  • In “polepole”, there are 2 ‘l’ letters, but the ChatGPT said 3.
  • In “eleven”, there is 1 ‘l’, but the it said 2.
  • In “Hakuna Matata”, there are 5 ‘a’ letters, but it said 4.

If you need to do precise calculations, one way to ask ChatGPT to use Python code. Python is good for handling math and other precise tasks. You can ask ChatGPT to write a small Python script for your calculations, which will give you reliable results.

For example, instead of asking ChatGPT to just add numbers directly, you can say:

Calculate the sum of these numbers using Python code: $10,000 + $10,000 + $30,000 + $16,881.60 + $15,000 + $7,000 + $9,000 + $27,600 + $6,000 + $20,000 + $4,000 + $6,000.

ChatGPT can then generate the Python code for you, and you’ll get the exact sum.

I hope it helps :relieved: