Math riddles are a great way to keep your brain sharp and active.
Today, we have an exciting number puzzle that will test your logic.
Let us look closely at the clues given in the image.
The puzzle describes a series of operations done to a secret starting number.
First, this unknown number is divided by 2.
Next, the number 3 is added to that new result.
After that step, the current result is multiplied by 4.
Finally, 5 is subtracted from everything to get the final answer.
The puzzle tells us that the final answer is exactly 35.
Our main goal is to find out what the original number was.
How can we solve a puzzle like this without getting confused?
The easiest and most logical way is to work backward from the final result.
Working backward means we will start at 35 and reverse every mathematical step.
When we reverse a step, we must do the exact opposite operation.
For example, the opposite of subtraction is addition.
The opposite of multiplication is division.
The opposite of addition is subtraction.
And the opposite of division is multiplication.
Let us begin our backward journey to find the secret number.
We know that the very last step in the riddle was subtracting 5 to get 35.
To undo this step, we need to add 5 back to our final answer.
So, we calculate 35 plus 5, which gives us 40.
Now, let us look at the step right before that.
The riddle says the result was multiplied by 4.
To undo a multiplication, we must divide our current number by 4.
So, we take 40 and divide it by 4.
This gives us a new number, which is 10.
We are getting much closer to the original number now.
The next step to reverse is the addition of 3.
To undo adding 3, we need to subtract 3 from our current result.
So, we take 10 and subtract 3 from it.
This calculation gives us 7.
We have reached the very first operation mentioned in the puzzle.
The puzzle started by saying the original number was divided by 2.
To undo this final division, we must multiply our current number by 2.
So, we take 7 and multiply it by 2.
This gives us 14.
Therefore, the original secret number must be 14.
Let us quickly double-check our answer by going forward to be absolutely sure.
We start with our answer, 14.
First, we divide 14 by 2, which gives us 7.
Second, we add 3 to 7, which gives us 10.
Third, we multiply 10 by 4, which gives us 40.
Finally, we subtract 5 from 40, which gives us 35.
The math works out perfectly and matches the riddle exactly.
The original number is indeed 14.
