This puzzle is easy to misread because the phrase divided by half is not the same as dividing by two.
The expression is:
500 divided by half, plus 50
Dividing by one-half means dividing by 0.5, which doubles the number:
500 ÷ 0.5 = 1000
Then add 50:
1000 + 50 = 1050
So the correct answer is 1050.
The common mistake is treating “divide by half” as if it meant “divide by 2,” which would lead to a much smaller result. In fact, dividing by a fraction less than 1 makes the number larger.
Answer: 1050.
