Here’s another quick arithmetic puzzle that can catch people off guard: 200 + 50 × 0 + 3 = ? The numbers look straightforward, but the order of operations matters more than the size of the numbers.
What is the answer to 200 + 50 × 0 + 3?
The answer is 203.
How to solve it step by step
Begin with the multiplication. In a standard arithmetic expression, multiplication comes before addition, even if the addition appears first when reading from left to right.
50 × 0 = 0. This leaves 200 + 0 + 3. Adding those three values gives 203.
The common mistake
A tempting but incorrect approach is to add 200 and 50 first, multiply 250 by zero, and then add 3. That would be solving a different expression, one that had parentheses around 200 + 50. No such parentheses appear in the puzzle.
To avoid this mistake, look for multiplication or division signs before calculating any sums. This is the same principle taught with PEMDAS and BODMAS.
Now that you’ve seen the explanation, try sharing just the equation with a friend and see which answer comes back.
