Best AI for everyday maths / head-to-head
GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Terrafor everyday maths
GPT-5.6 Terra wins, 99–98
Same 12 everyday maths tasks, marked blind by three rival labs. GPT-5.6 Terra took 2 tasks, GPT-5.5 took 1, 9 tied. Tested 14 Aug 2026.
Where they differed most
A car does 42 miles per gallon. Petrol is £1.46/litre. One gallon is 4.546 litres. What does a 260-mile journey cost in fuel, to the nearest 10p? Show each step.
1. **Work out how many gallons are needed:**
\[
\frac{260 \text{ miles}}{42 \text{ miles per gallon}} = 6.1905 \text{ gallons}
\]
2. **Convert gallons to litres:**
\[
6.1905 \times 4.546 = 28.1419 \text{ litres}
\]
3. **Work out the cost:**
\[
28.1419 \times £1.46 = £41.087
\]
4. **Round to the nearest 10p:**
\[
£41.087 \approx £41.10
\]
**The 260-mile journey costs about £41.10 in fuel.**1. **Gallons needed for 260 miles:**
\[
\frac{260}{42}=6.1905\text{ gallons}
\]
2. **Convert gallons to litres:**
\[
6.1905 \times 4.546 = 28.1419\text{ litres}
\]
3. **Calculate fuel cost:**
\[
28.1419 \times £1.46 = £41.0872
\]
4. **Round to the nearest 10p:**
\[
£41.0872 \approx £41.10
\]
**The 260-mile journey costs approximately £41.10 in fuel.**Task by task
| Task | GPT-5.5 | GPT-5.6 Terra |
|---|---|---|
| VAT both ways | 10 | 10 |
| Percentage change vs points | 10 | 10 |
| Unit price comparison | 10 | 10 |
| Mortgage overpayment intuition | 10 | 10 |
| Split a bill with a twist | 10 | 10 |
| Compound vs simple | 10 | 10 |
| The discount stack | 10 | 10 |
| Reverse percentage | 10 | 10 |
| Rate to reality | 10 | 9 |
| Average of averages trap | 10 | 10 |
| Estimate honestly | 9 | 10 |
| Refuse false precision | 9 | 10 |
Full receipts: GPT-5.5, GPT-5.6 Terra · judges claude-sonnet-5, gemini-3.1-pro-preview, grok-4.5
Questions people ask
Which is better for everyday maths: GPT-5.5 or GPT-5.6 Terra?
GPT-5.6 Terra — it scored 99/100 against 98/100 on our 12-task everyday maths suite, winning 2 tasks to 1 with 9 tied. Every answer was marked blind by three judges from three rival AI labs.
How was this tested?
Both models answered the identical published everyday maths tasks. Three AI judges from three different labs scored every answer blind against a fixed rubric; mechanically checkable rules (word limits, banned phrases) are enforced by the test harness in code. The raw outputs and judge verdicts are downloadable.
More everyday maths head-to-heads: Claude Opus 4.8 vs GPT-5.6 Terra · Claude Opus 4.8 vs GPT-5.5 · GPT-5.6 Sol vs GPT-5.6 Terra · GPT-5.5 vs GPT-5.6 Sol · Claude Opus 4.6 vs GPT-5.6 Terra · GPT-5.3-Codex vs GPT-5.6 Terra
Full ranking: Best AI for everyday maths · model pages: GPT-5.5, GPT-5.6 Terra