AlgebrachBot: The Maths Chat Bot

If you hang out in the chat of the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics at Moscow State University, you have probably met this bot. It calls itself a "random bot written by a random person for a random chat", which is almost an honest description: a blend of handy references, maths and small amusements. 📐

The author published the source code, so more is known about what it can do than usual. It is a bot for one community, but its tricks suit any study chat.

References for insiders

Some commands help a newcomer settle into the faculty and the chat.

• /help. The list of all commands.
• /links. Useful faculty links.
• /wifi. Wireless networks available in the faculty building.
• /chats and /channels. Related chats and some channels.
• /rules. The chat rules.

/start simply greets you the first time you launch it.

Maths right in the chat

For a maths faculty the best part is naturally the maths. There are commands for calculations and random problems.

• /maths. A random definition or theorem, with an optional subject.
• /task. A random problem, with an optional difficulty.
• /wolfram and /wf. A query to a symbolic and numeric computation system.
• /arxiv. A random paper from a preprint archive, or a search by query.
• /wiki. A short version of an encyclopedia article on request.

Weather and dice

For everyday life there is /weather: a three-day forecast for Moscow. Useful for deciding on an umbrella without leaving the chat.

For a lighter mood, /roll, /d6 and /dn give a random number from 0 to 100, a six-sided die roll and a roll of a die with any number of sides. Good for draws or board games.

Why a study chat needs its own bot

In large chats the same questions repeat weekly: where is the timetable, what are the rules, how do I connect to the network. A bot answers in a second, and people stop distracting each other.

A random problem or theorem works as a warm-up. Come early, call the command and discuss the solution with a neighbour.

Using it wisely

1. Start with /help. The command list is shorter than it looks.
2. Solve problems yourself. A random problem is great practice, but the solution is yours to find.
3. Check sources. A short article summary does not replace a textbook.
4. Keep the chat tidy. If a command returns a long answer, call the bot in a private message.

Who it is for

Mostly students and applicants who talk in the faculty chats. Maths fans can also use it as a source of random problems and theorems.

Feedback contacts are listed in the bot's profile, so if something misbehaves, write to the authors.