How do I use interactives on Brilliant?
Most problems on Brilliant are interactive — instead of just picking a multiple-choice answer, you’ll type expressions, drag pieces around, and manipulate things directly on screen. Learning by doing is core to how Brilliant works, but a few of these interactive elements can be confusing the first time you meet them. This article walks through the two we get asked about most. If you ever want to start a problem again from a blank slate, look for the Start over button beneath the problem. How do I use the math keyboard? The math keyboard shows up in problems across many courses whenever you need to enter a number or an expression as your answer — it isn’t tied to any one topic. It appears below the question and lets you type things a regular keyboard can’t easily produce, like fractions and square roots. !The Brilliant math keyboard being used to enter the answer negative square root of 3 over 2 Here’s what the keys do: Numbers and operators — the digits 0–9 and the +, −, and × keys work just like you’d expect. Fraction (□/□) — creates a fraction. If you’ve already typed something, it becomes the numerator; if not, you start in the top box and type the numerator first. Square root (√) — adds a square root symbol with an empty box inside for whatever goes under the root. Arrow keys (◄ and ►) — move your cursor through the expression. ► moves forward — into a denominator, or back out of a fraction or square root — and ◄ moves back. Delete (the ⌫ key in the top corner) — removes the last thing you entered. Many answers are simple enough that you just tap the keys from left to right, and everything lands in order without moving the cursor at all: A whole number like 42 — tap 4, then 2. An expression like 2 × 3 — tap 2, then ×, then 3. A sum like 15 + 8 — tap the keys in order: 1, 5, +, 8. Getting into and out of denominators and roots Fractions and square roots are where the cursor matters, because whatever you type stays inside them until you press ► to step back out. This is the part people miss most. A few concrete examples: A fraction like 3/4 — tap □/□, type 3 in the top box, press ► to move into the bottom box, type 4, then press ► once more to step out of the fraction. A square root like √5 — tap √, type 5, then press ► to come out of the root before typing anything that follows it. Both together, −√3⁄2 (the answer in the example above) — tap −, then √, then 3; press ► to come out of the root; tap □/□, which turns the √3 into the numerator and drops your cursor into the denominator; type 2. The box outlined in blue is the field you’re currently editing. If a problem has more than one answer box, tap a box to select it before you start typing. When your answer is correct, the box turns green with a checkmark. 🎯 Tip: If you get stuck on a math problem, Koji, Brilliant’s tutor, can see exactly what you’ve entered and walk you through the next step. How do I add negative number tiles? To add negative tiles, drag the handle — the small pill-shaped grip at the bottom of the tile stack — downward. You don’t tap the tiles to add them, which is the step most people miss. In the Negative Numbers course, some problems use number tiles to show how positive and negative amounts cancel each other out. A positive tile (+) and a negative tile (−) form a pair that adds up to zero, so a common goal is to add enough negative tiles to cancel every positive one. !Dragging the handle downward to add negative tiles until they cancel the positive tiles Select the handle at the bottom of the tile stack. Drag downward to add negative tiles. Each bit further you drag reveals another − tile. Drag back upward to remove tiles if you add too many. Keep dragging until the number of negative tiles matches what the problem asks for — for example, enough − tiles to cancel all of the + tiles on screen. 🎯 Tip: Made a mess? Tap Start over to reset the tiles and try again.