This grocery list math puzzle asks a simple question: 6 + 4 × 3 − 2 = ? It also comes with a bold claim that the answer is not 16. That makes it a useful challenge, because the real rules of arithmetic tell a different story.
Try Calculating It Yourself
The numbers are small enough to solve in your head. The important thing is choosing the correct order of operations. When an expression includes multiplication together with addition and subtraction, multiplication must be performed first unless parentheses say otherwise.
The Correct Answer Is 16
First calculate 4 × 3 = 12. Replace that part of the expression: 6 + 12 − 2. Then add and subtract from left to right: 6 + 12 = 18, and 18 − 2 = 16.
So despite the text printed at the top of the graphic, 16 is the mathematically correct answer under the standard order of operations. The statement suggesting otherwise is misleading.
Why It Matters
Many viral math challenges depend on readers forgetting the order of operations. But a puzzle should still have an accurate solution. If you answered 16, you were right. Share this example to test whether friends can separate the arithmetic from a misleading headline.
