Math puzzles on social media often look very simple at first glance.
Many people quickly give their answers without double-checking the steps.
Today, we will solve a viral math challenge together step by step.
The picture presents an equation with four numbers 6 and different symbols.
It boldly claims: “Bet You’ll Get This Wrong! Answer is NOT 12!”
Let us look at the full expression: 6 + 6 ÷ 6 + 6 × 0.
Why do so many people incorrectly guess 0 or 12?
People who guess 0 usually calculate from left to right without rules.
They do 6 plus 6 to get 12.
Then they divide 12 by 6 to get 2.
Next, they add 6 to 2 to get 8.
Finally, they multiply 8 by 0 and end up with 0.
Others calculate 6 plus 6 divide 6 plus 6 first to get 12, then multiply by 0, or make other mix-ups.
However, mathematics has strict rules that we must always follow.
This standard rule is called PEMDAS or BODMAS.
PEMDAS stands for Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction.
According to this rule, multiplication and division must be done before addition and subtraction.
When we have both multiplication and division, we solve them from left to right.
Let us apply this rule to our equation: 6 + 6 ÷ 6 + 6 × 0.
First, we look for division and multiplication operations in the expression.
The first operation to calculate from the left is the division: 6 ÷ 6.
Six divided by six equals 1.
Now, our equation becomes: 6 + 1 + 6 × 0.
Next, we must handle the multiplication operation: 6 × 0.
Anything multiplied by zero equals zero.
So, six times zero equals 0.
Now, our equation is simplified to: 6 + 1 + 0.
Finally, we perform the addition operations from left to right.
We add six and one together to get seven.
Then, seven plus zero is still seven.
Therefore, the final correct logical answer to this puzzle is 7.
As the image correctly warns us, the answer is definitely not 12, nor is it 0.
By following the standard order of operations, math puzzles become easy and clear!
