Challenge: Can you solve this math problem for middle schoolers – without a calculator?
Classic brain training methods are perhaps puzzles like crosswords or sudoku, but I have recently become more attracted to the type of challenge you’ll see below.
Lately, these puzzles have been all over the internet, and it’s probably because they’re super enjoyable!
These are classic math problems that have been around for a long time. You probably encountered them during your middle or high school years.
Solving these math problems is way more enjoyable when you think back to the math you learned when you were younger.
Can you find the right answer?
Check out the challenge shown in the picture below.
At the top of the image, there is a question followed by four answer choices.
Which solution do you think is the correct one?
How did you come up with it?
Take a moment to really think it over so you can figure out the right answer.
Finished? You can see below if you chose the correct number!
A
B
C
The correct answer
The correct answer is B: 12.
Why is 12 the correct answer?
Well, if you remember from your school days, according to the order of operations, you do multiplication before addition and subtraction, so you start by solving 3 x 3, which results in 9.
Then we are left with a simpler math problem: 3 + 9 – 3 + 3
The answer is therefore 12.
Did you pick the correct number? Congratulations!