How much do you remember from the math lessons you had back when you went to school?
Myself, not so much. Whenever I need to do some complex calculations, I tend to rely on my phone’s calculator. While great, technology does most of the thinking for us. Handy, but unhealthy.
A way to counter this and keep our minds in shape, is to give them a regular workout. And what better way to do that than good ‘ol brainteasers?
On one hand, they keep the brain active. On the other, it’s a great way to pass the time. After all, few pleasures are as satisfying as overcoming a complex puzzle!
I have always had a book or magazine with puzzles around to do in my spare time. I enjoy any brainteaser I come across, from Sudoku to optical illusions.
Lately, however, I have become more interested in old math problems. It is actually quite fun to test if the knowledge is still there!
Solve this math problem without a calculator
The challenge below is a classic math problem similar to the ones they give kids in primary school.
It is important to remember the order of operations to get the correct result, which is not easy after all these years.
Here comes the task. Can you solve it?
Did you figure out the answer? If not, we’ll reveal it after the picture below.
Here is the answer
Here, you can find the answer alongside a little explanation.
The correct answer is 288. How did we get there? Let’s do it step by step.
First, we have to calculate the number inside the parentheses, 9 + 3 = 12. So we now have:
48 ÷ 2 (12)
Then we remove the parentheses, which means there is a multiplication:
48 ÷ 2 x 12
Now is time to solve everything starting from the left, which gives:
24 x 12 = 288
The order of operations is vital to solve this challenge, this is one of the first things we learn in school.
Did you get it right? Congratulations to you then!
Now press that SHARE button below and challenge all your friends to a nice math problem!