Scratchpad Feature

Mistakes are found.
Lessons are learned.

Students write their work directly on screen. Beside Math reads every line, finds the exact mistake, and guides them to correct it — without giving away the answer.

See how it works ↓
📝

What is the Scratchpad?

The Scratchpad is a lined digital workspace inside every problem. Students write their full calculation process — step by step — just like pencil on paper. Beside Math checks each line automatically.

Try It Live →
Student writing math steps on iPad with Apple Pencil showing Beside Math scratchpad
✏️

Apple Pencil

Full pressure sensitivity

iPad + Apple Pencil

Write your work.
Just like on paper.

Beside Math is built for iPad and Apple Pencil. Students don't type — they write. Every calculation step, every formula, every scratch mark is captured on the lined digital pad, exactly as it would be in a notebook.

📐

Full-page lined scratchpad

Large, uncluttered writing area — room for multi-step problems, diagrams, and side calculations.

🖊️

Pencil · Pen · Marker · Eraser · Ruler

Five tools, four ink colors, three stroke widths — everything a student needs to show their thinking clearly.

🎯

Line-by-line error detection

Beside Math reads the handwriting, finds the exact wrong step, and marks it with a red arrow — no guesswork.

↩

Erase and rewrite — not start over

The eraser removes just the wrong line. Students fix, recalculate, and resubmit — building understanding through correction.

See the 3-step process ↓ Try It Live →
State 1 of 3

The Student's Work

A 7th grader is solving a volume problem. They've shown all their working in the scratchpad — but made a small error on line 4 that throws off the final answer.

besidemath.com/learn

7th Grade Math · Volume

What is the volume of this trapezoidal prism?

Trapezoidal prism with dimensions 40mm, 32mm, 7mm depth, 15mm length
mm³
❌ Incorrect
1 Trap prism = tri prism + rect prism
2 tri base = 40 − 32 = 8 mm ✓
3 rect vol: 32 × 7 × 15 = 3360 ✓
4 tri vol: ½ × 8 × 5 × 15 = 300
5 total = 3360 + 300 = 3660

3,660 mm³ is not correct. Check your working and try again.

🎓 Step-by-Step

✓

Step 1 — Done

Break the prism into a triangular section and a rectangular section.

✓

Step 2 — Done

Rectangular volume: 32 × 7 × 15 = 3,360 mm³

3

Current Step

Triangular volume: ½ × base × height × depth

Formula reminder: V = ½ × 8 × h × 15
What is the height of the triangular face?

Step 4

Add both volumes together to find the total.

👆

The student used height = 5 mm on line 4 instead of the correct 7 mm. The wrong intermediate value cascades into a wrong total on line 5. To a human looking at it quickly, it's easy to miss — but Beside Math catches it in milliseconds.

Beside Math Analyzes…
State 2 of 3

Error Detected

The student clicks "Check What Was Wrong." Beside Math scans every line of the scratchpad and places a red arrow on the exact line where the mistake occurred.

besidemath.com/learn · Checking work…

7th Grade Math · Volume

What is the volume of this trapezoidal prism?

Trapezoidal prism
mm³
❌ Incorrect
1Trap prism = tri prism + rect prism
2tri base = 40 − 32 = 8 mm ✓
3rect vol: 32 × 7 × 15 = 3360 ✓
4 tri vol: ½ × 8 × 5 × 15 = 300
5total = 3360 + 300 = 3660

⚠ Error on Line 4

Height used: 5 mm — but the diagram shows the height is 7 mm.

Correct: ½ × 8 × 7 × 15 = 420 mm³. Fix line 4 and recalculate your total.

🎓 Step-by-Step

✓

Step 1 — Done

Break the prism into a triangular and rectangular section.

✓

Step 2 — Done

Rectangular volume: 32 × 7 × 15 = 3,360 mm³

!

Step 3 — Needs Fix

Triangular volume: check the height value used.

Look at the diagram: The height of the triangular face is 7 mm, not 5 mm.
V = ½ × 8 × 7 × 15 = 420

Step 4

Add both volumes together.

🔍

The red arrow points directly at line 4. The error callout explains exactly what went wrong — "Height used: 5 mm, should be 7 mm" — and shows the correct formula. The student still has to fix the number and recalculate; the system doesn't do it for them.

Student Corrects Line 4…
State 3 of 3

Corrected ✓

The student fixes their handwriting on line 4, recalculates line 5, and submits the correct answer. Every line is now green.

besidemath.com/learn · ✓ Correct!

7th Grade Math · Volume

What is the volume of this trapezoidal prism?

Trapezoidal prism
mm³
✅ Correct!
1Trap prism = tri prism + rect prism
2tri base = 40 − 32 = 8 mm ✓
3rect vol: 32 × 7 × 15 = 3360 ✓
4tri vol: ½ × 8 × 7 × 15 = 420 ✓
5total = 3360 + 420 = 3780 ✓
🎉

3,780 mm³ — correct!

Great work fixing line 4. The correction cascaded perfectly into line 5.

Next Skill →

🎓 Step-by-Step

✓

Step 1 — Done

Break into triangular and rectangular prism.

✓

Step 2 — Done

Rectangular volume = 3,360 mm³

✓

Step 3 — Done

Triangular volume = ½ × 8 × 7 × 15 = 420 mm³

✓

Step 4 — Done

Total = 3360 + 420 = 3,780 mm³

💡

The student didn't just get the right answer — they understood why their original answer was wrong. By correcting line 4 themselves, the concept of reading a diagram for the correct height is reinforced far more effectively than simply seeing the answer provided.

Why it matters

The difference between "you got it wrong" and "here's exactly why" is the difference between frustration and growth.

Line 4

Exact location found

Not "somewhere in your work" — the system identifies the specific line number where the calculation failed.

5 → 7

Specific value highlighted

The wrong number is underlined with a wavy red mark. Students see exactly which value to reconsider.

Self-fixed

No answer given away

The hint explains the mistake; the student still recalculates — building real, lasting understanding.

Ready to try the Scratchpad on a real problem?

Enter your answer, make a mistake, and experience the analysis in action — live.

Try the Live Scratchpad → See Self Study Feature