JEE Main Physics Solver

A verified-against-internet solver for JEE Main physics. The core idea: don't trust any single source — combine Claude's own physics reasoning, SymPy arithmetic, and a web search for existing worked solutions, and iterate until they agree. Then stage for teacher approval.

JEE Main context (for tuning answers)

• Paper format: 25 physics questions × 4 marks = 100. Section A: 20 MCQs (single correct). Section B: 5 numerical answer type (NAT).
• Negative marking: −1 on MCQs, 0 on NAT.
• Time pressure: ~2 min/question. Students need the fastest correct path, not the most elegant.
• Syllabus: Class 11–12 NCERT. No topic is weighted heavily over another; expect ~1 question per major chapter.
• Default constants: g = 10 m/s² unless stated, π ≈ 3.14, Coulomb constant k = 9×10⁹ N·m²/C².
• Answer format: pick one of four options (A/B/C/D) for Section A, or a numeric value (integer or 2-decimal) for NAT.

The workflow

Follow all seven steps in order. The verification cycle (steps 3–5) is the whole point of this skill — don't skip it.

0. Make sure WebSearch is loaded

Before step 1, check whether the WebSearch tool is available. If it isn't in your current tool list, load it via ToolSearch with {"query": "select:WebSearch,WebFetch", "max_results": 2}. This skill's value depends on the internet cross-check in step 3 — if WebSearch truly cannot be loaded in this environment, continue the workflow but skip step 3, and explicitly flag in the draft that the internet cross-verification was not available so the teacher knows to review extra carefully.

1. Extract the problem cleanly

• If the input is an image, transcribe the full problem: text, given quantities with units, diagram description in words, and all four MCQ options (or the NAT answer box).
• If it's a forwarded WhatsApp message, strip greetings and the student's attempted work.
• Echo a one-line restatement of what's being asked. Misreads here cascade through everything else.
• If the image is too blurry to read a digit with confidence, ask the teacher to confirm that value before proceeding.

2. Classify and identify the topic

Name the topic aloud: mechanics (kinematics / Newton / rotation / gravitation / SHM / fluids), thermodynamics & kinetic theory, waves & sound, geometrical optics, wave optics, electrostatics, current electricity, magnetism & EMI, AC, modern physics (photoelectric, atoms, nuclei, dual nature), or semiconductor electronics.

Also note the expected difficulty: JEE Main usually needs 2–4 equations and 2–5 substitutions. If the problem seems to need more than that, reread — there's often a shortcut (symmetry, conservation law, standard result).

3. Internet search for existing solutions

Run a web search before solving. Good query patterns:

• "[first ~15 distinctive words of problem]" JEE Main solution
• JEE Main [year if known] [topic] [key numbers] answer
• [textbook name] [chapter] [problem number] solution (if the problem is from HC Verma, DC Pandey, etc.)

Capture from the top 3–5 results:

• The final answer (number + unit, or option letter).
• The method used (short: "used work-energy theorem" or "applied Lenz's law").
• The source (coaching site name). Note if multiple sources agree.

Note on limitations: some sites (Doubtnut, paid coaching) may be behind paywalls or block automated access. That's fine — use whatever snippets the search returns. If no relevant solution is found after 2 different queries, note that and proceed to step 4 without the internet anchor.

4. Build your own solution from scratch

Don't peek at the internet's method here — derive independently, so the cross-check is meaningful. Steps:

a. Concept (one line): the principle you're applying. b. Governing equation(s) in symbolic form. c. Given quantities with SI units and sign convention. d. Solve symbolically first, then substitute numbers. e. Run SymPy to compute the final numeric answer. Use scripts/verify.py as a starting template for common problem patterns (projectile, incline, RC, lens, Bohr, de Broglie). Prefer Rational and exact constants until the final N() call — avoids floating-point drift.

5. Cross-verify: compare your answer with the internet

Now lay them side by side:

• If they agree (same numeric answer OR same option letter): you're done. Proceed to step 6.
• If they disagree: do not default to either. Instead:
• Re-read your own derivation. Look for the common culprits (sign, factor of g, radians vs degrees, wrong moment of inertia, missing factor of 2, unit mix-up).
• Re-read the internet's method. Is it doing something you missed (e.g., accounting for friction at pulley, using exact g = 9.8)?
• Rework the problem using the hybrid insights.
• Iteration cap: do this at most 3 times. If after 3 attempts your answer still doesn't match the internet's most-common answer, stop the loop and flag it explicitly in the draft: "⚠️ My SymPy-verified answer is X, but [2 of 3] sources online give Y. Recommending you check before sending — one of us has a mistake."
• Never silently overwrite a SymPy-verified answer just to match the internet. The convergence goal is agreement after understanding why, not blind matching. Coaching keys are occasionally wrong — the escape valve exists to protect you from that.

The iteration cap matters: an LLM that tries infinitely to match a popular-but-wrong answer is worse than one that says "I think X, the internet says Y, you decide."

6. Compose the WhatsApp-ready reply

Use this format. It's tight enough for phones and mirrors the pedagogical sequence.

*[Topic] — JEE Main*

*Concept:* [one line]

*Key formula:* [equation in plain text]

*Given:* [quantities with units]

*Steps:*
1. [substitution/transformation]
2. [next step]
3. [final algebra]

*Answer:* [value with units, and option letter (A/B/C/D)]

Notes:

• WhatsApp renders *text* as bold. Use for headings only.
• No LaTeX. Write v² = u² + 2as, not $v^2 = u^2 + 2as$.
• Unicode Greek is fine (θ, λ, μ, ω).
• Keep under ~300 words; offer "want the full derivation?" for deeper asks.
• For NAT problems: give the numeric value to the precision JEE Main expects (integer or 2-decimal).

7. Stage for teacher approval

Default mode: stage, do not auto-send.

1. Show the draft clearly marked.
2. Identify the target batch — check .auto-memory/project_whatsapp_mapping.md for the teacher's project-to-WhatsApp-group map. For JEE Main, this is usually the "12th" or "JEE Main" batch.
3. If the iteration produced a disagreement flag, highlight it at the top of the draft — the teacher needs to decide before sending.
4. Say: "Draft ready for [batch name]. Say 'send it' to deliver, 'edit: ...' to revise, or 'just for me' to skip sending."
5. Only call the WhatsApp MCP's list_chats + send_message after explicit confirmation.

JEE Main–specific watchouts

These are the mistakes that most commonly cost marks on this paper:

• g = 10 by default. Using 9.8 can push the answer off-option by ~2%.
• MCQ options near each other: if two options are within ~5%, carry more decimals through the calc.
• NAT precision: JEE Main NAT answers are typically integer or 2-decimal. Round at the end, not during.
• Sign conventions in optics and SHM: state the convention; don't assume.
• Dimensional shortcut: many JEE Main questions can be solved by dimensional analysis alone — if the problem gives a bunch of constants and asks for a quantity with specific dimensions, that's the shortcut.
• Short-time approximations: small-angle pendulum, high-impedance multimeter, ideal gas. If the problem invokes these words, they simplify.

Topic references

Read these only when the problem is in that topic — keeps context lean:

• references/mechanics.md — sign conventions, rotation, SHM, gravitation.
• references/electromagnetism.md — Gauss/Ampere setups, RC/LR, AC formulas.
• references/modern_physics.md — photons, Bohr, de Broglie, nuclear decay.
• references/common_pitfalls.md — the recurring traps.

Using the verification script

scripts/verify.py has helpers for the most common JEE Main patterns: 1D kinematics, projectile, inclined plane, simple pendulum, thin lens, RC charging, Bohr energies, de Broglie wavelengths. Run it directly or copy the relevant function inline. It's a starting point, not a framework — adapt the equations to each problem.