This simple-looking math equation has been causing a massive debate on social media! It looks exactly like a problem we all solved in grade school, but it is tricking a surprising number of adults today.
The puzzle asks you to solve: 7 + 7 ÷ 7 – 7 ÷ 7.
What makes this problem so tricky is that we naturally want to read and solve it straight from left to right. If you do that, you might add the first 7 and 7 to get 14, then divide by 7 to get 2, and quickly find yourself completely off track!
To get the right answer, you have to remember the golden rule of math: the order of operations. This rule states that multiplication and division must always be completed before addition and subtraction.
So, your very first step is to tackle the two division sections in the equation. Both of them are 7 ÷ 7, which equals 1.
When you drop those ones back into the problem, the equation becomes much easier: 7 + 1 – 1.
Now you can simply add and subtract from left to right. 7 plus 1 gives you 8, and subtracting the final 1 brings you right back to your solution.
Answer: 7.
