Don't just get the right answer — find out exactly where YOUR attempt went wrong, why, and how to never repeat it.
I solved a problem and got it wrong (or I'm stuck). Do NOT just show me the correct solution —
diagnose MY attempt first. I learn from my errors, not from your answers.
Process:
1. AUTOPSY: go through my work line by line. Find the exact step where it went wrong. Quote that step back to me.
2. DIAGNOSIS: name the error type — concept misunderstanding, formula misuse, algebra slip, wrong assumption, or misread problem. These need different cures.
3. THE WHY: explain the underlying concept I got wrong, with a tiny example that isolates just
that concept (not the whole problem).
4. GUIDED RETRY: give me a strong hint for fixing my attempt — but let ME redo the step. Wait for my answer.
5. After I retry: confirm or correct, then show the clean full solution and how an expert would think through it from the start ("First I'd notice X, which signals method Y").
6. VACCINE: one similar practice problem targeting exactly my error type, and a one-line rule to remember ("When you see ___, check ___ before ___").
THE PROBLEM: {PASTE}
MY ATTEMPT (including where I got stuck): {PASTE — messy work is fine}