Challenge: Can you solve this math problem for middle schoolers, without a calculator?

Classic brain training methods are perhaps puzzles like crosswords or Sudoku, but in recent times, I have become more and more attracted to the type of challenge you’ll see below.

These types of puzzles have been flooding the web lately, probably because they are fun!

These are old classic mathematical problems. When you were in middle or high school.

These math problems are more fun when you find yourself trying to remember the math you learned as a child.

Can you figure out the correct solution?
Here is the challenge, in the picture below.

Which solution do you think is the correct one?

How did you come up with it?

Take your time and think about it so you can find the correct solution.

Done? Below, you can check if you picked the right number!

A

B

C

The correct answer
The correct answer is 12.

Why is 12 the correct answer?

Well, if you remember from your school days, according to the order of operations, you do multiplication before addition and subtraction, so you start by solving 3 x 3, which results in 9.

Then we are left with a simpler math problem: 3 + 9 – 3 + 3

The answer is therefore 12.

Did you pick the correct number? Congratulations!