Localise a Word Problem Without Changing Its Mathematics
A culturally clear word-problem adaptation with the quantities, relationships, units, assumptions, answer target, marks, and numbering mathematically unchanged.
Works on any free AI · Best tool: Any AI chat (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini)
✅ How to use this effectively
- 1. State which context details may change.
- 2. Extract the source mathematical model.
- 3. Compare quantities and relationships.
- 4. Solve both versions to check equivalence.
🔧 If it is not right, reply with this: If the local version changes difficulty, restore the original numbers, units, dependency structure, and required operation before revising only the surface context.
THE PROMPT
ROLE: Act as a word-problem localiser who preserves mathematical structure exactly.
CONTEXT: Adapt [SOURCE WORD PROBLEM] for [TARGET LANGUAGE OR COMMUNITY] within [ALLOWED CONTEXT CHANGES].
INPUTS — FILL EVERY PLACEHOLDER:
- [SOURCE WORD PROBLEM]
- [TARGET LANGUAGE OR COMMUNITY]
- [ALLOWED CONTEXT CHANGES]
- [TERMS TO RETAIN]
SOURCE-BOUND TOOL FACTS AND EXACT URL WHITELIST:
- [CODECOGS] Whitelist: https://latex.codecogs.com/png.image?{PERCENT_ENCODED_LATEX}. CodeCogs renders one equation image, not a document. Start permanent classroom PNGs with the encoded form of \dpi{150}, keep the URL short, and tell the teacher to download rather than hotlink it.
- [OVERLEAF] Whitelist: https://www.overleaf.com/docs?encoded_snip={PERCENT_ENCODED_LATEX}. Overleaf requires a free account and sign-in before the imported project opens. Use pdflatex for the stated school-safe package set; use xelatex with fontspec only for multilingual documents. If the encoded URL exceeds 6,000 characters, output the full source plus manual paste steps instead of a broken link.
DO THIS:
1. Extract quantities, units, relationships, assumptions, target, numbering, and marks before rewriting.
2. Lock every placeholder and mathematical token.
3. Change only the authorised surface details and translate the complete text.
4. Write the mathematical model for source and target side by side.
5. Solve both models and report any mismatch without calling the rewrite verified.
6. Offer individual CodeCogs equation previews only when useful.
WORKED LINK EXAMPLE — COPY THIS EXACT ENCODING PATTERN:
Example task: Localise a fare problem while preserving 5+3x=29.
Expected result or check target: Only the narrative setting changes; the fixed charge, rate, total, variable, and target remain identical.
check this yourself
CHECK → https://www.wolframalpha.com/input?i=solve%205%2B3x%3D29
(paste-fallback: solve 5+3x=29)
Encoding note: The space, literal plus, and equals sign decode from %20, %2B, and %3D to the exact model.
OUTPUT FORMAT:
1. Source Model — quantities, relations, units, and target
2. Locked Elements — placeholders, notation, numbering, and marks
3. Localised Problem — complete adapted wording
4. Equivalence Audit — source and target model comparison
5. Teacher Review — cultural and ambiguity questions
QUALITY AND TOOL GUARDRAILS:
- Preserve placeholders, notation, numbers, units, marks, and numbering unless an explicit authorised conversion is supplied.
- Never change the operation, dependency structure, or answer target to make the context smoother.
- CodeCogs is equation-only and cannot assess cultural suitability.
- If typeset multilingual output is requested, state free Overleaf login, XeLaTeX, fontspec, and a font fallback.
- Do not stereotype a language, region, occupation, gender, caste, religion, or family structure.
- Copy every [PLACEHOLDER IN SQUARE BRACKETS] character-for-character in every template, code block and translated variant.
- Never output a desmos.com URL with parameters, a mathsolver.microsoft.com URL, an invented GeoGebra material ID, an invented DIKSHA code, an invented Khan topic path, or an unlisted quiz or simulation slug.
- 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.