Math puzzles often look simple at first glance.
They show up on social media all the time.
Many people quickly answer without double-checking their work.
This image shows a famous math challenge that tricks almost everyone.
The handwritten note says, “Bet You’ll Get This Wrong!”
It also gives a helpful hint: “Answer is NOT 24!”
Let’s look closely at the equation in the picture.
The problem written down is: 8 + 8 ÷ 8 + 8 × 0.
Why do so many people think the answer is 0 or 24?
People who get 0 usually calculate from left to right without thinking.
They add 8 + 8 to get 16.
Then they divide 16 by 8 to get 2.
Next, they add 8 to get 10.
Finally, they multiply 10 by 0 and arrive at 0.
Other people see the “× 0” at the end and think everything equals zero immediately.
That is incorrect because of standard math rules.
To solve this correctly, we must use the Order of Operations.
In mathematics, this rule is often called PEMDAS or BODMAS.
This rule tells us which operations to perform first.
Parentheses come first, then Exponents.
Next, we do Multiplication and Division from left to right.
Finally, we do Addition and Subtraction from left to right.
Let’s break down our equation step by step using PEMDAS.
Our equation has addition, division, and multiplication.
We must handle division and multiplication before any addition.
First, look at the division part: 8 ÷ 8.
Any number divided by itself equals 1.
So, 8 ÷ 8 = 1.
Second, look at the multiplication part: 8 × 0.
Any number multiplied by zero equals 0.
So, 8 × 0 = 0.
Now, let’s rewrite the original equation using these calculated values.
The equation 8 + 8 ÷ 8 + 8 × 0 becomes 8 + 1 + 0.
Now we only have simple addition left to do.
We add the numbers from left to right.
First, 8 + 1 = 9.
Then, 9 + 0 = 9.
The final correct logical answer is 9.
By following the standard rules of math, the puzzle becomes very clear.
Don’t let the tricky setup fool you next time!