It’s not as simple as it looks.

Do you think of yourself as a secret mathematician who’s a genius at solving hard math problems?

This math puzzle will have even the biggest number of nerds scratching their heads.

Even those who solve the most popular riddles may be stumped here.

Clock+clock+clock = 21

Calculator+calculator+calculator = 30

Bulb+bulb-bulb = 15

Clock+calculatorxbulb =?

And here is the “initial” solution:

There are three clocks which total 21, so each clock is 7.
There are three calculators which total 30, so each calculator is 10.
There are two lightbulbs added and one subtracted, so each lightbulb is 15.
The final sum is 7 + 10 x 3(15) which equals 7 + 10 x 45.
Doing Multiplication first gives 7 + 450.

So the final answer is 457 …… WRONG.

Check the right answer below:

A

B

C

ANSWER:
Look closer at the image and you will notice the following:

The clock’s hour is pointing to different hours.
The calculator digits are not always the same.
The lightbulbs have a different number of “glow” lines.
So let’s start again, with the correct solution:

The clock hour hands point to 9 + 9 + 3 = 21, so we must use the hour hands.

The digits on the three calculators (1234) add up to 30, so we must use the sum of digits.

The three bulbs have 5 “glow” lines each, so we must use these lines with value 3.

In the final sum, the clock is 9, the calculator adds up to 9 and the bulbs have 4 lines.

The final sum is 9 + 9 x 3(4×3) which equals 9 + 9 x 3(12) = 9 + 9 x 36.

Doing the Multiplication first gives 9 + 324.

So the final CORRECT answer is 333.

Were you observant? Did you get it right? At the time of posting the solution, 48% of respondents on the poll were correct, which is pretty good.