People struggle to work out 'closest time to midnight' in 'confusing' riddle
This riddle might seem simple at first, but it's proved it's not as easy as you'd think. This kids' homework question has stumped adults as they try to work out the closest time to midnight
A kids' homework question has left adults seriously baffled as they try to work out the closest time to midnight out of four options. Although most people will have gone to school and done similar riddles, it can be hard to make your brain work in the same way it used to do.
Mortgage brokers Crawford Mulholland recently took to TikTok to ask people to work out the "closest time to midnight", and it's clear many found it confusing. The possible answers given were: A) 11.55am, B) 12.06am C) 11.50am and D) 12.03am. Sharing an image of the puzzle, which was apparently meant for children, one employee collected answers from people.
Many people confidently picked D, 12.03am, but others said they were confused because of the wording of the question. It's asking for the closest "to" midnight. One man said: "Why is this confusing? I thought it was going to be way too easy."
A huge debate ensued in the comments section, where there were a lot of varying answers. One person said: "Has to be B," while someone else wrote: "It's C." "It's B. Obvious," said another.
"11 .55am is closest TO midnight...," said one person. Another wrote: "It's A, the question is what is the closest TO midnight not FROM midnight." Another answered: "A. The others are 23 hours away from midnight time doesn't go backwards."
Explaining how they worked it one, one person on Reddit shared: "Just to be contrarian, I will say A. Unless you have a time machine. A is 12 hours 5 minutes from midnight. B is 23 hours 54 minutes from midnight. C is 12 hours 10 minutes from midnight. D is 23 hours 57 minutes from midnight."
However, others argued the wording of the question could be interpreted in different ways. One person said: "'Closest to' does not have to be interpreted as the arrow of time. You could interpret it that way, but you could also interpret as most of the people in this sub do: absolute difference."
According to Mind Your Decisions: "Answer choices C and A are 10 and 5 minutes before 12 noon, so they are about 12 hours away from midnight. On the other hand, answer choices D and B are 3 and 6 minutes after midnight. One could say they are just minutes away from midnight, or one might say they are nearly 24 hours away to the next midnight.
"But the question does not specify time to the next midnight. It only states which time is closest to midnight, so that could mean time before or after midnight.
Therefore answer choices D and B are more appropriate choices to be closer to midnight. Of these, answer choice D is only 3 minutes after midnight and that is closer than B which is 6 minutes. Therefore the correct answer is D. 12:03 a.m."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
14 hours ago
- Metro
‘Edgers' are the cheeky commuters invading the National Rail network
It's early, and you're standing on the platform regretting not working from home. When the train finally arrives it's rammed. You squeeze on and quickly scan the seats and all are full – except for one. There's a free space by the window. But someone's already sitting in the aisle seat, avoiding eye contact at all costs. You're left with an awkward decision, do you ask them to budge up? Or do you just accept defeat and stand up for the next 30 minutes? So common is this conundrum, that these commuter criminals now have a name: the edgers. Relax, it's not what you think. It's a perfectly innocent term coined by Metro to describe the people who deliberately sit in the aisle seat and leave the window seat empty, even as the train or bus starts to fill up. And it's been annoying people for years. 'There seems to be an epidemic of people choosing to sit on the aisle side of a bus or train leaving the window seat free. Is it just me or is this quite a weird thing to do?' one user asked on Mumsnet back in 2018. 'They probably think that people are less likely to sit next to them but once the bus/ train fills up all the seats fill up so people have to squeeze past them to get on.' TikTok user @hanasimpson95 brought the debate to the platform recently. She asked her followers: 'Genuine question (no hate): Those of you who sit in the aisle seat on a full bus/ train and leave the window seat open. Why?' Some commuters had their reasons. 'I hate the feeling of being boxed in. If I see someone eyeing the other spot, I'll gladly move aside and let them get to it, but I won't personally go sit there,' one wrote. @hanasimpson95 A genuine thought that pops into my head most days. The bus is full, yet there is a space that I can sit in but I need to awkwardly ask you to move so I can use it. Help me understand. I'm socially awkward. #fyp #foryou #bus #help #question ♬ DtMF – Bad Bunny Others were far less thoughtful. 'Don't like people sitting beside me, it's a subtle deterrence,' one wrote. Another added: 'I am selfish and hoping if it's getting full they'll sit next to someone else first.' At least they're honest, hey? But plenty of commenters weren't having it. User @yesanastasia wrote: 'So many people think they're the only people who like their personal space. No one likes it but public transport is a shared space, so sometimes you just have to share.' Another @forgetful_lucy wrote: 'I totally understand people have their reasons but at the same time if a bus is full and there are NO other seats why can't people just move it's so selfish to make ppl stand for a bit of extra space.' Meanwhile @elizabeth__c_ said: 'If I'm only going a couple stops I'll do this. But not for a long journey. I never understood it either.' There are plenty of irritating commuter types who make the journey from bed to desk more excruciating. We've already told you about double-baggers, who take one seat for themselves and another for their bag, and barebackers, who endure the commute without Airpods or any other form of entertainment. Not to mention ' bare beaters ' – the infuriating passengers who watch videos or listen to music from their phones without any headphones. When will the general public learn? So, how can you deal with an edger? Generally, the most polite thing to do if you encounter a seat edger is ask them to move up. Try asking directly but nicely. Most people will shift over without a fuss, even if they're secretly annoyed. If you don't fancy your chances, you can either find another seat or just let it go. But try not to get sucked into passive aggressive staring matches – no one wins, and it will probably set you off for a bad day. And, if you are the edger? Unless you're getting off at the next stop, or have a genuine reason to sit in the aisle seat, maybe consider scooching up. Or at the very least, look up and acknowledge the poor person standing next to you, desperate to sit down. You might like your space, but so does everybody else. And we're all stuck on the crowded commute together. Do you have a story to share?
Leader Live
16 hours ago
- Leader Live
Brits debate the most outrageously overpriced items in UK
Now more than ever, Brits are faced with extortionate costs of everyday life, from energy bills to the weekly food shop. But for those who feel there is an endless list of 'outrageously' overpriced things currently in the UK (from toothpaste to train tickets), you are not alone. It comes as someone asked on Reddit: 'What's the most outrageously overpriced thing in the UK that we just accept?' So far, there has been an overwhelming response to the original post on r/AskUK, including 2.4k upvotes and 3.8k comments. Among the most debated topics where the cost of dropping someone off at an airport, dental work, and car insurance, to name a few. Someone wrote: 'Fast food, but I've actually stopped eating it. 'May as well eat at an actual restaurant when some places charge nearly £30 for 2 meals.' Another said: 'I'm not buying Pringles for £2.75.' While this user shared: 'Hear me out: Tinned fruit. 'Used to be a staple in my childhood as we were on the poverty line. Source of sugar and vitamins for us. It's the dregs of fruit which me and my sister used to fight for the cherry. I remember seeing it for 19p in 2005. "£1.20 a tin.' One Reddit profile commented: 'Fees. 'Hear me out.. booking fee, application fees. Booking a cinema ticket... Fee Mortgage: application fee Gig tickets: fee Online parking: plus fee. 'I'm doing all this myself why do I have to pay a fee aswell.' A frustrated Brit also added: 'Child care/nursery costs. We pay more for our one kid than our mortgage every month.' Further discussing the price of food these days, this person put: 'Fish and chips! 'Used to be the cheap takeaway option. Now it's £8 for a bit of cod and another £5 for some chips.' As a reply to the original post asking people what things they think are 'outrageously' overpriced, one profile posted: 'Women's deodorant, Dove now wants £5 for a 200ml bottle. £5 !? W*f!!' Recommended reading: Waitrose trials major change to loyalty scheme perk (but you could face £3 charge) Sainsbury's to trial change to classic in-store feature - see how it will work Martin Lewis advises anyone with a phone contract to send one free text Another annoyed user said: 'I just hate the size of standard multi pack chocolate bars now. I got a 4 pack of twix for like £2 and you open it and they are the size of the ones in a snack multipack. Ridiculous literally 1 bite sticks.' Meanwhile, another popular response was: 'I needed some toothpaste so popped to my local, £7!!! It was a double sized tube but 7 quid?!' Have you been shocked by the price of anything recently? Let us know how you feel in the comments below.
Daily Mirror
20 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
People struggle to work out 'closest time to midnight' in 'confusing' riddle
This riddle might seem simple at first, but it's proved it's not as easy as you'd think. This kids' homework question has stumped adults as they try to work out the closest time to midnight A kids' homework question has left adults seriously baffled as they try to work out the closest time to midnight out of four options. Although most people will have gone to school and done similar riddles, it can be hard to make your brain work in the same way it used to do. Mortgage brokers Crawford Mulholland recently took to TikTok to ask people to work out the "closest time to midnight", and it's clear many found it confusing. The possible answers given were: A) 11.55am, B) 12.06am C) 11.50am and D) 12.03am. Sharing an image of the puzzle, which was apparently meant for children, one employee collected answers from people. Many people confidently picked D, 12.03am, but others said they were confused because of the wording of the question. It's asking for the closest "to" midnight. One man said: "Why is this confusing? I thought it was going to be way too easy." A huge debate ensued in the comments section, where there were a lot of varying answers. One person said: "Has to be B," while someone else wrote: "It's C." "It's B. Obvious," said another. "11 .55am is closest TO midnight...," said one person. Another wrote: "It's A, the question is what is the closest TO midnight not FROM midnight." Another answered: "A. The others are 23 hours away from midnight time doesn't go backwards." Explaining how they worked it one, one person on Reddit shared: "Just to be contrarian, I will say A. Unless you have a time machine. A is 12 hours 5 minutes from midnight. B is 23 hours 54 minutes from midnight. C is 12 hours 10 minutes from midnight. D is 23 hours 57 minutes from midnight." However, others argued the wording of the question could be interpreted in different ways. One person said: "'Closest to' does not have to be interpreted as the arrow of time. You could interpret it that way, but you could also interpret as most of the people in this sub do: absolute difference." According to Mind Your Decisions: "Answer choices C and A are 10 and 5 minutes before 12 noon, so they are about 12 hours away from midnight. On the other hand, answer choices D and B are 3 and 6 minutes after midnight. One could say they are just minutes away from midnight, or one might say they are nearly 24 hours away to the next midnight. "But the question does not specify time to the next midnight. It only states which time is closest to midnight, so that could mean time before or after midnight. Therefore answer choices D and B are more appropriate choices to be closer to midnight. Of these, answer choice D is only 3 minutes after midnight and that is closer than B which is 6 minutes. Therefore the correct answer is D. 12:03 a.m."
