Variable

Are you using the Khan Academy mobile app on a tablet or a phone or the web version of Khan Academy? It's a known issue that this happens in mobile apps.

Hi Rhonda,

If you're using the mobile app, you should be able to hold your finger down on the "x" variable to see additional variables for some exercises. You may also need to slide your finger towards the arrow in the corner of the button to see the additional variables.

If the exercise requires a variable that is not available using this method, please submit a support ticket and we can further investigate the issue!

Thanks!

Evan Lewis, that's how it is supposed to work. But it doesn't. Neither holding the finger down nor sliding it works. Ironically, this does work with Try It Yourself problems within articles but not in exercises, tests, etc., where it really counts. Plus, the Try It Yourself keypad input interface in at least the iPad app precedes its April 2018 implementation for the problems that actually count, so it's a shame the code wasn't ported there.

Are you seeing this for all exercises? And is this just happening on the iPad or is it happening with the iPhone/Android version as well?

I haven't tried the iPad version myself yet, but everything seems to be working on the iPhone version.

Evan Lewis because I have not been doing math problems on Khan Academy for a while, I don't know if the problem still exists on the iPad. I also have Khan Academy installed on an Android phone, but I don't know if I ever tried this there.

Perhaps the apps have been fixed to handle this properly now, or maybe since the original poster is having this issue, it hasn't been fixed, at least on the device this person is using.

I am using the Khan Academy app on my iPhone. I have the same problem--can't type in a different variable when the problem calls for p and q.

I took a screen shot of the explanation for the problem. Later I was able to see the q by holding down my finger on the p variable button. 

I'm not a code writer, so I don't know how difficult it would be to add the button so that both variables are available all of the time.

MrsOrton, I suggest that you use Report a Problem that is located at the top of each Support community page, to the right of center. The people who can really help you (or at least try to help you) read those submissions more than they hang out here. Say exactly what you said in your post here, and definitely include your screen prints.

In fact, there are two things they're going to ask you to do before they try to help you. One is to include screen prints, so you can do this ahead of time instead of waiting for them to ask you to do this.

The other one they're going to ask you to do is to first try uninstalling and reinstalling the app. This is definitely NOT a problem that can be solved by uninstalling and reinstalling the app. So also include in your original problem report that, based on comments from other Support community users, you don't think this is a problem that can be fixed by uninstalling and reinstalling the app.