This short arithmetic puzzle tests whether you remember the correct order of operations. The expression is 14 + 16 × 0 + 9.
Multiplication comes before addition, so calculate 16 × 0 first. That equals 0. The expression then becomes 14 + 0 + 9.
Answer: 23.
The multiplication-by-zero step is the trap. It does not make the entire expression zero; it only makes the term 16 × 0 equal zero. After that, the remaining addition is simple.
If you got 23 without using a calculator, you followed the order of operations correctly.
