Tackling this maths conundrum isn’t as simple as it first appears. Keeping your brain in shape is just as crucial for your health as maintaining physical fitness – and we achieve mental workouts by tackling mind-bending puzzles that get our cognitive cogs turning.
Brainteasers, along with other forms of puzzles, have been shown to enhance memory, alleviate stress, and boost motor skills, making them a beneficial daily activity for a healthy mind.
This particular maths puzzle may seem straightforward at a glance, but it holds a subtle detail that ensnares nearly everyone who tries it. The challenge has spread like wildfire online with many attempting to crack it without stumbling into the common pitfall – do you reckon you can work it out?
The riddle was posted on TikTok by Jennie and Nick, a duo known for their engaging brainteaser content. In the clip, Nick poses a seemingly easy maths query to his wife: “What is half of 6 + 6? ” As the footage continues, Jennie wrangles with the problem, initially landing on six as her answer.
She reaches this number by summing up six and six to hit 12, and then dividing by two, taking her back to six. But Nick informs her that she’s not quite got it right.
Jennie next tried an inventive approach – by halving the whole equation to figure out 3 + 3. Yet, this still gave her six, which Nick claimed was incorrect. Next, she opted for an unconventional solution, slicing the equation in half visually to make the numerals resemble zeroes, earning kudos for creativity but still missing the mark.
The riddle’s resolution is surprisingly straightforward when you know how to solve it. So stop scrolling now unless you want the answer to be revealed to you.
Answer
Apparently, the correct response is nine. Proper punctuation is key – and you may have realised that it reads: “What is half of six, plus six?”
Taking half of six gives three, which, when added to six, makes nine. Expressed as a formula, it would look like: 6 / 2 + 6 = ?
Opinions were divided among commenters on the video. While some pinpointed the correct figure, others debated that given how Nick phrased it, six should have sufficed.
One individual remarked: “Word it better. This is just vague and impossible to discern. What is six halved plus six? ” Another countered: “Calculation rules apply to numbers, not words. So it can be 6 or 9.”