This number puzzle looks simple, but the best way to solve it is to work backward carefully.
The riddle says: “I am a number. Double me and add 8. Then subtract 5. The result is 35. What am I?”
Let the mystery number be x. The instructions give us: 2x + 8 – 5 = 35. Combine 8 – 5 to get 3, so 2x + 3 = 35. Subtract 3 from both sides and we get 2x = 32. Divide by 2, and x = 16.
Answer: 16.
Check it: double 16 to get 32, add 8 to get 40, then subtract 5. That gives 35 exactly. These short reverse-math puzzles are a fun way to test whether you follow every step in the correct order.
