Get ready to put your maths knowledge to the test with this fiendishly challenging brain teaser.
We all know that exercising your mind is just as vital for your health and wellbeing as physical exercise is for your body. But what exactly does that entail for our mental faculties?
Puzzles and brain teasers are fantastic tools that promote cognitive function, challenging us with their mind-bending logic. For those keen on giving their neurons a vigorous workout, why not tackle this puzzle?
It’s reputed to be so difficult that “99%” of participants can’t crack it within the set time frame. Think you’re up to the challenge? Then take a look below and see how quickly you can solve it.
The conundrum was posted on TikTok by IQ Test US, presenting what appears to be a straightforward arithmetic problem at first look. The teaser starts with the equation A+A = 2, followed by A+B = 3.
Your task is to figure out the result of the compound sum: “A + B x 2 = ?”
Here’s the kicker – the TikTok clip alleges you’ve got a mere two seconds to solve it, propelling most into the 99% who fail. If mathematical puzzles are in your wheelhouse, then attempt to solve it in the blink of an eye.
However, getting the correct answer matters more than the ticking clock, so we’ll let the time constraint slide. Can you crack this equation now that the time pressure has been removed?
The first step is to determine the values of A and B, allowing you to replace the letters in the equation with numbers. However, the challenge doesn’t end there. There’s a particular method to solve the sum – and if you get it wrong, your answer will be incorrect.
Solution
The correct answer is five.
If you’ve correctly solved the simple sums, you’ll know that A equals 1 and B equals 2, resulting in the final sum “1 + 2 x 2 = ?”. There are two potential ways to solve this, but only one is the “correct” way leading to the right answer.
If you calculate the sum from left to right, you’ll get six, which is incorrect.
The rules of BIDMAS (also known as PEMDAS or BODMAS, depending on your educational background) dictate how equations should be solved. Brackets come first, followed by indices (like square roots or powers), then division and multiplication, and finally addition and subtraction.
Following these rules, you must first multiply 2 x 2 and then add the one, resulting in the correct answer of five.
Did you manage to solve it? Let us know in the comments below.
