Can you solve this simple math puzzle?
Take a close look at the note on the desk.
It says: 70 ÷ 1/7 × 7 = ?
At first glance, it looks like elementary school math.
You probably feel like you can solve it in two seconds.
Many people glance at it and immediately say the answer is 70.
They might think: 70 divided by something times 7 just cancels out.
Or perhaps they quickly calculate 1/7 × 7 = 1, and then 70 ÷ 1 = 70.
It sounds very logical, right?
Well, that is exactly why the note says: Answer is not 70!
If 70 is wrong, what is the real answer?
More importantly, why do so many smart adults get this wrong?
Let us break it down step by step using basic math rules.
Do you remember the order of operations from school?
Many of us learned PEMDAS or BODMAS.
These rules teach us how to read a math sentence properly.
First, we do parentheses and brackets.
Next come exponents and roots.
Then comes multiplication and division.
Finally, we do addition and subtraction.
Here is the key detail that catches most people off guard:
Multiplication does not automatically come before division.
They actually have the exact same priority level.
When a problem has only multiplication and division, there is one golden rule:
You must solve from left to right!
Just like reading a book, you start on the far left.
Let us look back at our equation: 70 ÷ 1/7 × 7.
Following the rule, the first operation on the left is 70 ÷ 1/7.
How do we divide a whole number by a fraction?
Do you remember the “flip and multiply” rule?
To divide by a fraction, you multiply by its reciprocal.
The reciprocal of 1/7 is simply 7/1, which equals 7.
So, dividing 70 by 1/7 is the exact same thing as multiplying 70 by 7!
Let us calculate that first step:
70 × 7 = 490.
Think about it in real life.
Imagine you have 70 whole pizzas.
If you cut every single pizza into 7 equal slices, how many slices do you have?
You do not end up with 10 slices; you end up with 490 slices!
Dividing by a fraction makes your number bigger, not smaller.
Now, we have finished the first part of our expression.
We are left with the final step from left to right:
Take that 490 and multiply it by the last 7.
Let us do the multiplication:
490 × 7 = 3430.
And that is the whole secret!
The mathematically correct answer is 3430.
It is not 70, and it is not 10.
Math is wonderful because simple rules never change.
Did you get 3430 on your first try?
Share this with your friends and see how many of them fall into the trap!
