Brits humiliated as 'simple' maths question for children leaves adults stumped

Daily Mirror

15 hours ago

A seemingly simple maths question designed for children has left swathes of adults struggling to work out the answer - with some saying it 'hurts their head' to think about it
Swathes of Brits have been left red-faced after failing to solve this 'simple' children's maths puzzle.
Brainteasers like this may seem like just a little bit of fun, but they're actually a great form of mental exercise. There has even been some research published that suggests regularly solving puzzles like this one can actually help improve your concentration levels and better your attention span.
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They're also a great way to spice up your morning commute, and can keep the kids quiet for a couple of minutes while you try to get dinner sorted in peace. However, this particular brainteaser is leaving fully grown adults rather humiliated - as they just can't manage to solve it.
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Admit it, we've all been stumped by a maths question that seems like child's play for our kids but leaves us scratching our heads. With many mathematical concepts gathering dust in the recesses of our memories, it's no surprise we're left baffled by puzzles meant to be easy-peasy.
And this crafty conundrum is causing quite the stir online. The brainteaser spread like wildfire on social media, with some folks even claiming it bamboozled their brains so much it 'hurt'. As previously reported, the brainteaser made its rounds on X (formerly Twitter) courtesy of @yawdmontweet, who asked: "What is the closest time to midnight?" You have four choices to pick from:
A. 11:55 am
B. 12:06 am
C. 11:50 am
D. 12:03 am
While the answer might leap out at you, the replies under the viral post were a mix of confusion and debate. A large chunk of the commenters landed on A, figuring it's the one closest to midnight approaching. A baffled user declared: "It says closest 'to' midnight. And not 'from' Midnight. Stop overcomplicating everything. The answer is A."
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Another pointed out: "It says closest TO midnight ... not after midnight. A," while a third added: "Would have to be A. Time cannot go in reverse so the fact that B and D are after midnight means they can't be the answer."
But others quickly shot down this theory, arguing that the question was simply asking which time was 'closest' to midnight, regardless of whether it came before or after it, leading them to insist that the correct answer would be D, 12:03 am. One person argued: "Y'all are getting me f***ing mad now. If you call an airline and ask for the closest flight to midnight possible and they put you on an 11:55 am flight instead of a few minutes past midnight, you would be frigging furious. Maths is supposed to be practical."
Support came from another who said: "How y'all saying 'to' not 'after'. If you have to work at midnight and you're running late, and you tell the boss 'I'll get there as close to the time as possible' which of these is that?".
Someone else jumped in to clarify: "The question speaks to proximity and not chronology, so the answer is D," while yet another stated firmly: "Clearly a lot of children have been left behind. The answer is D! 'To' just means closest to the time itself, not insinuating that it's necessarily before midnight."
Up for another mental workout? Check out our collection of tricky brainteasers, riddles, and puzzles here. Or, learn more about your hidden personality traits with these mind-boggling optical illusions.