This simple-looking math equation has been causing a massive debate on social media! It looks like a problem you would have easily solved in grade school, but it is tricking a surprisingly high number of adults today.
The problem asks you to solve: 5 + 5 × 5 + 5.
What makes this puzzle so tricky is that we naturally want to read and solve it straight from left to right. If you do that, you would add the first 5 and 5 to get 10. Then you would multiply by 5 to get 50, and add the last 5 for a final answer of 55. However, that is the most common wrong answer!
To get the right answer, you have to remember the golden rule of math: the order of operations. This rule states that multiplication must always be completed before addition.
So, your very first step is to multiply the 5 × 5 in the middle of the equation, which gives you 25.
Now, the equation is much easier: 5 + 25 + 5. When you simply add those numbers together, you arrive at your final solution.
Answer: 35.
