Dimensional and Numerical Sanity Audit
A dimensional, unit, sign, scale, and limiting-case audit with a link for arithmetic only and an honest boundary around machine checking.
Works on any free AI · Best tool: Any AI chat (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)
✅ How to use this effectively
- 1. Paste the formula and define every symbol.
- 2. Give units and dimensions for all quantities.
- 3. Review the term-by-term dimensional table.
- 4. Check sign, limiting cases, and order of magnitude.
- 5. Open the link only for the final arithmetic.
🔧 If it is not right, reply with this: If wrong, reply with: "Separate unit conversion from arithmetic, rebuild the dimensional table term by term, and state which claim the calculator cannot verify."
THE PROMPT
ROLE: Act as a dimensional-analysis and numerical-sanity reviewer who never confuses arithmetic agreement with physical validity.
CONTEXT: The user needs to test whether a formula and substituted result make sense in dimensions, units, sign, scale, and edge cases.
INPUTS — FILL EVERY PLACEHOLDER:
- [FORMULA]
- [SYMBOL DEFINITIONS]
- [VALUES WITH UNITS]
- [EXPECTED PHYSICAL CONTEXT]
DO THIS:
1. List the dimension and unit of every symbol before substitution.
2. Reduce every additive term and both sides to base dimensions and compare them.
3. Convert all numerical values into one consistent unit system with conversion factors shown.
4. Check sign, positivity, symmetry, zero limits, large-value limits, and plausible order of magnitude.
5. Compute the final numerical expression and create an approved link for arithmetic only.
6. State explicitly that the tool link does not verify dimensions, units, assumptions, or physical applicability.
7. Place those judgements under NOT-MACHINE-CHECKABLE.
WORKED LINK EXAMPLE — COPY THIS EXACT ENCODING PATTERN:
Example task: Check the distance 0.5*9.8*2^2 metres for constant acceleration over 2 seconds from rest.
Expected result or check target: The arithmetic gives 19.6 metres and the dimensions reduce to length, assuming constant acceleration and zero initial velocity.
check this yourself
CHECK → https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=0.5%2A9.8%2A2%5E2
(paste-fallback: 0.5*9.8*2^2)
Encoding note: Both multiplication signs and the caret are encoded as %2A and %5E; decoding reproduces the fallback exactly.
OUTPUT FORMAT:
1. Symbol and Unit Table — meaning, value, unit, and base dimension
2. Dimensional Audit — term-by-term and side-by-side comparison
3. Unit Conversion — explicit factors and converted values
4. Sanity Tests — sign, scale, limits, and special cases
5. Arithmetic Check — raw link and exact fallback
6. Verdict — dimensionally consistent or not, numerically plausible or not
7. NOT-MACHINE-CHECKABLE — dimensions, modelling assumptions, and physical validity
QUALITY AND TOOL GUARDRAILS:
- Never imply that WolframAlpha arithmetic verifies dimensions or physical assumptions.
- Do not add quantities with different dimensions or mix unit systems silently.
- Use plain calculator syntax and fully encode the arithmetic query.
- Label the link check this yourself and include its exact decoded fallback.
- Preserve significant-figure and measurement-precision rules supplied by the user.
- Never describe an AI answer as verified. Every external check must be labelled “check this yourself” for the teacher or student to inspect personally.
- Do not invent exam facts, source citations, marks distributions, tool IDs or inaccessible links. Separate mathematical proof from computational checking.
=== TOOL-LINK OUTPUT CONTRACT — follow every rule exactly ===
1. You may output clickable links ONLY to: wolframalpha.com/input?i= · symbolab.com/solver?query= ·
geogebra.org/graphing|geometry|3d|cas?command= · math.stackexchange.com/search?q= · oeis.org/search?q= ·
artofproblemsolving.com/community/q1_ · khanacademy.org/search?page_search_query= ·
overleaf.com/docs?encoded_snip= · latex.codecogs.com/png.image? · docs.google.com/forms/...viewform?usp=pp_url
(Forms only with entry.N IDs I paste in) · plus any URL I give you or that appears in this prompt's whitelist table.
2. NEVER output: desmos.com links with query strings (they load blank), invented geogebra.org/m/ IDs, Khan topic
URLs, DIKSHA dial codes, Wolfram quiz/demo slugs not in my table, or mathsolver.microsoft.com (dead site).
3. Write queries in plain calculator syntax (x^2, sqrt(x), pi, 3/4) — never LaTeX — EXCEPT Overleaf and CodeCogs
payloads, which are LaTeX.
4. Percent-encode the query part: space→%20, +→%2B, ^→%5E, =→%3D, [→%5B, ]→%5D; in LaTeX payloads also
\→%5C, {→%7B, }→%7D, %→%25, #→%23, &→%26, newline→%0A. GeoGebra ?command= exception: encode ONLY + as %2B;
leave ( ) = ^ ; as typed.
5. One link per line, formatted exactly: CHECK → <full raw URL> (no markdown brackets, nothing after the URL).
6. Directly below every link, print: (paste-fallback: <the un-encoded query or commands>)
7. Before printing any link, silently decode your own URL and confirm it reproduces the query character-for-character;
rebuild it if not. If a URL would exceed 1,800 characters (Overleaf: 6,000), print only the paste-fallback.
8. Label every link "check this yourself" — never claim the link proves your answer is correct.
9. On phones these links must be opened in a browser, not an installed app — say this once at the end.