system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do calculators solve complex problems like matrices graphing etc. do programers have to write out every solution or are there shortcuts?
gpt
Ingredient 1: Computers are machines that perform simple operations VERY fast.

Ingredient 2: Most complex math can be decomposed into (or approximated by) simpler math. For example, imagine that you know how to add 2 numbers. Well, with that tool, you can also multiply numbers (by performing several additions) and even calculate exponentiation (by performing several multiplications, which we already mentioned you can do with addition).

By combining the two ingredients (a set of simple operations and knowledge on how to decompose complex math into simpler math), you get a machine that can perform complex math.