A math puzzle circulating on social media has left many people stumped, with a series of equations that appear to make no sense at first glance. The image presents several examples with unusual answers, challenging viewers to work out what number should replace the question mark in a final, unsolved sum.
The puzzle reads as follows: 7 + 7 = 2, 8 + 8 = 4, 8 + 5 = 1, 6 + 9 = 3, and 10 + 11 = 9. The final line asks solvers to find the answer to 4 + 9 = ?
Using standard arithmetic, none of these equations add up. Seven plus seven equals 14, not 2, which is exactly why an additional pattern needs to be found.
How the puzzle works
Puzzles like this one test attentiveness and the ability to look at familiar math operations from a different angle rather than requiring complex calculations. Solvers only need to figure out what happens to the sum of two numbers after they are added together normally.
The first line offers a clue. Adding 7 and 7 gives 14, and the challenge is to work out what simple operation turns 14 into 2. The same rule should apply to the other examples: 8 + 8 equals 16, but the picture shows 4, while 6 + 9 equals 15, yet the result given is 3.
The correct answer
The solution is that after adding the two numbers normally, 12 must be subtracted from the total.
Checking this against each example confirms the pattern: 7 + 7 = 14, and 14 minus 12 equals 2. 8 + 8 = 16, and 16 minus 12 equals 4. 8 + 5 = 13, and 13 minus 12 equals 1. 6 + 9 = 15, and 15 minus 12 equals 3. 10 + 11 = 21, and 21 minus 12 equals 9.
Applying the same rule to the final example gives 4 + 9 = 13, and 13 minus 12 equals 1. The correct answer to the puzzle is therefore 1.
A clock-like pattern
The principle behind the puzzle resembles counting time on a 12-hour clock face, where the count starts again from 1 after reaching 12.
UNIAN, the outlet that shared the puzzle, had previously reported on a separate tricky brainteaser that challenged readers to solve it within seven seconds.
