Welcome to a fun math challenge that might look simple, but it’s designed to test your attention to detail and logic.
Take a close look at the image below.
The picture features a piece of paper with four lines of handwriting in blue pen.
On the top two lines, it makes a bold declaration: “Answer is NOT 42”.
Right below that statement, there is a clear mathematical equation: “40 ÷ 4 + 4 x 3 = ?”.
The question mark is the challenge, and your job is to find the value that should replace it.
When people first see this equation, many of them try to solve it in a very specific order.
They might first divide 40 by 4, which gives them the answer 10.
Then, they might add 4 to 10, resulting in 14.
Finally, they multiply that 14 by 3.
This sequence of steps gives them the final number: 42.
This result seems to make sense, and it’s a very common answer.
However, the top of the image explicitly states, “Answer is NOT 42”.
This warning is the key to the entire puzzle, and it tells you that the “42” path is incorrect.
So, why is it wrong, and how can we find the correct answer?
The problem lies in a fundamental rule of mathematics called the order of operations.
In math, you don’t simply solve an equation from left to right.
There is a standard hierarchy of which operations you must perform first.
This set of rules ensures that everyone gets the same correct answer for a single mathematical problem.
The correct order is that you must always handle any operations within parentheses first.
After that, you calculate any exponents or powers.
Then, you must perform all multiplication and division operations, working from left to right through the equation.
Finally, you perform all addition and subtraction operations, also working from left to right.
This sequence is crucial, and forgetting it will lead you to a wrong result.
Let’s apply this rule to our equation: 40 ÷ 4 + 4 x 3.
First, let’s look for parentheses or exponents; there are none.
Next, we need to focus on multiplication and division from left to right.
The first such operation is “40 ÷ 4”.
We divide 40 by 4, which gives us 10.
So, the first part of the equation is now 10.
Moving to the right, we encounter the operation “4 x 3”.
This multiplication step gives us 12.
Now, we replace the multiplication and division parts of the original equation with their results.
The entire expression is now “10 + 12”.
The last step, according to our rules, is to perform the final addition.
We add 10 plus 12, which gives us 22.
This simple calculation leads us to the final answer.
Therefore, the question mark must be replaced with the number 22.
Don’t let a “42” trick you; logic and rules are what matter.
So, the next time you see a puzzle like this, remember the rules for the order of operations and take your time!
