A Hacker News user who still reads lots of print books takes a photo of the page whenever they hit unfamiliar notation and asks ChatGPT what's going on in that paragraph. They also use it to summarise a topic, drill into specifics and quiz them, as a kind of 'poor man's Anki' alongside their real flashcards.
Here's a photo of a page from a book I'm reading about [SUBJECT]. In [PARAGRAPH OR LINE], I don't understand [THE NOTATION / TERM / IDEA]. Explain it in plain English with a simple example, assuming I know [WHAT YOU ALREADY KNOW]. Then ask me 3 quick questions, one at a time, to check I've got it.
Replace the [PLACEHOLDERS] with your own details before you send it.
How to try it
- Take a clear photo of the page and say exactly which bit is confusing you.
- Ask for a plain explanation and an example, then follow up until it clicks.
- Finish by asking ChatGPT to quiz you, and add anything you got wrong to your notes or flashcards.
More learning use cases
Rewrite a text at the right reading level for a child with Gemini
A Minnesota teacher with 32 years in the classroom was struck by how easily Gemini could rewrite a text for a third- or fifth-grade reading level. She also pastes in short stories to get comprehension questions, asking specifically for the type she needs, such as questions about sequence.
Rewrite the text below so a [AGE]-year-old who reads at about [LEVEL OR SCHOOL YEAR] level can understand it. Keep all the important facts, use short sentences and explain any tricky words in brackets. Then write [NUMBER] [TYPE, E.G. SEQUENCE] comprehension questions with answers. Text: [PASTE TEXT].
Ask Gemini to explain a symbol or diagram in your child’s textbook
One parent took a close-up photo of a symbol in their daughter's textbook and asked Gemini what it meant. They found the answer genuinely helpful.
Here's a photo from my child's [SUBJECT] textbook for [AGE/YEAR GROUP]. What does this symbol or diagram mean? Explain it simply, give one example, and suggest a question I could ask my child to check they understand it.
Revise for an exam from your own notes with NotebookLM
Preparing for an engineering physics exam, one student uploaded lecture notes, PDFs and study material to NotebookLM. Because answers were grounded in his own sources, he could ask for explanations, chapter summaries and practice questions, and trace answers back to his notes.
Using only my uploaded notes, explain [TOPIC] simply, then give me [NUMBER] exam-style questions on it, starting easy and getting harder. After I answer, mark my answers and point me to the part of my notes that explains anything I got wrong.
Reference: Hacker News