Matt Webb: ChatGPT as a tutor helped him learn quaternions for the AR mode in the app Galactic Compass 2
Developer Matt Webb described how ChatGPT, acting as an interactive tutor, helped him understand quaternions for the AR mode in the app Galactic Compass 2 - something he had been unable to achieve through books or consultations with mathematicians.
Developer Matt Webb described how, while preparing version 1.0 of the app Galactic Compass 2, he needed to learn to work with quaternions (a mathematical tool for describing rotations in space) so he could implement a new augmented reality mode. He said he had previously been unable to do this either by reading books or by consulting friends who are mathematicians.
Webb explains that he did not use ChatGPT to write code for him, but as an interactive tutor that explained the material well enough for him to use quaternions himself to make the app work. He emphasizes that learning did not stop simply because he outsourced some of the thinking to AI - on the contrary, he says it led him to learn more, which he considers a positive outcome.
The source text is a short quote from a note about the release of Galactic Compass 2 with a new augmented reality mode; the source provides no details about the app itself or the technical implementation of rotations.
Why it matters
The example shows a way to use a chatbot other than generating code - as a tool for explaining specific mathematical concepts in the context of a real project. According to Webb, this use does not replace learning but instead motivates it, which is relevant to anyone facing a similar type of technical barrier in their own work.
Relevant practical impact
What this means
For individuals
It shows a concrete way to use a chatbot as a patient tutor to understand difficult mathematics (quaternions), rather than as a generator of ready-made code - and that this understanding then allows you to write the code yourself.
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