Here is a simple-looking math puzzle that may seem to have an obvious answer at first.
Take a quick look at the expression in the picture.
36 − 36 ÷ (6 × 6) = ?
At first glance, you might feel that the answer should be 0.
After all, you can see a 36 minus another 36.
So your eyes may naturally tell you that 36 − 36 = 0.
But there is a small detail that changes everything.
The expression is not asking us to simply subtract the two 36s.
There are several operations in the expression, and we have to follow the correct order of operations.
This is where the puzzle becomes interesting.
First, look at the part inside the parentheses.
We have 6 × 6.
That gives us 36.
So we can rewrite the original expression like this:
36 − 36 ÷ 36
Now we still have subtraction and division.
Which one should we do first?
According to the standard order of operations, multiplication and division come before addition and subtraction.
So we must do the division before the subtraction.
That means we calculate:
36 ÷ 36 = 1
The expression now becomes:
36 − 1
And finally:
36 − 1 = 35
So the correct answer is 35.
This is why the answer is not 0.
The tempting answer of 0 comes from doing the subtraction too early.
For example, if someone looks at the expression and thinks, “36 minus 36 is 0,” they are effectively changing the order of the operations.
But we are not free to choose the order just because one calculation looks easier.
The parentheses have to be handled first, and then division has to be completed before subtraction.
There is another useful way to see the same thing.
The expression can be written as:
36 − (36 ÷ 36)
The parentheses around the division make the structure easier to see.
Now it is clear that the second part is not simply 36.
It is 36 divided by 36, which equals 1.
So we are really doing:
36 − 1
not:
36 − 36
That small difference changes the answer completely.
This is a good example of why mathematical expressions need to be read carefully instead of calculated only by appearance.
Sometimes the easiest-looking answer is not the correct one.
So, if you saw this puzzle and immediately thought the answer was 0, don’t worry.
That is exactly the trap the puzzle is designed to create.
Just remember the order: parentheses first, then multiplication or division, then addition or subtraction.
Now we can solve it confidently:
6 × 6 = 36
36 ÷ 36 = 1
36 − 1 = 35
