Mind-Boggling Math Puzzle Baffles Adults and Kids Alike

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09th Jul, 2023. 08:30 pm
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Viral math puzzle confounds adults, aimed at young children
Social media abuzz with debate over the correct answer
Four options provided: 11:55 am, 12:06 am, 11:50 am, and 12:03 am

A seemingly simple math question aimed at young children has taken social media by storm, leaving many adults scratching their heads in confusion.

Despite its initial simplicity, the puzzle has sparked a flurry of different interpretations, leaving people baffled and searching for the correct answer.

Shared on Twitter by numerous users, the enigmatic quiz question has garnered millions of views. However, one individual who posted a snapshot of the brain teaser claimed that it caused actual pain and left them utterly perplexed.

The quiz question that asks 'What is the closest time to midnight?'

The question was shared by a man under the username @yawdmontweet, and it simply asked: “What is the closest time to midnight?”

A math test for children presented a seemingly straightforward problem, but adults were left puzzled and divided over the correct answer. The question provided four multiple-choice options: A) 11:55 am, B) 12:06 am, C) 11:50 am, or D) 12:03 am.

The quandary arose as individuals debated whether the question sought the time closest to midnight without surpassing it.

This ambiguity led many to select options A, reasoning that it was the latest time listed and therefore closest to the subsequent midnight.

The ensuing confusion prompted lively discussions in the tweet’s comments section as perplexed adults grappled with the elusive solution.

One person said: “It says closest ‘To’ midnight. And not ‘From’ Midnight. Stop overcomplicating everything. The answer is A.”

While another added: “It says closest TO midnight … not after midnight. A.”

And a third posted: “Would have to be A, time cannot go in reverse so the fact that B and D are after midnight, they couldn’t be the answer.”

Amidst the ongoing discussion, dissenting commenters dismissed the belief that option A was the correct answer.

They contended that the question simply asked children to identify the time that was “closest” to midnight, without specifying whether it was before or after midnight.

As a result, they argued that option D, 12:03 am, should be considered the accurate response.

The diverging viewpoints further intensified the debate, leaving individuals on social media in a state of bewilderment as they grappled with interpreting the puzzling math question.

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Someone fumed: “Y’all are getting me f***ing mad now. If you call an airline and ask for the closest flight to midnight possible and they put you on an 11:55 am flight instead of a few minutes past midnight, you would be frigging furious. Maths is supposed to be practical.”

And someone else agreed, adding: “How y’all saying ‘to’ not ‘after’. If you have to work at midnight and you’re running late, and you tell the boss ‘I’ll get there as close to the time as possible’ which of these is that?”

“The question speaks to proximity and not chronology, so the answer is D,” another wrote, while a fourth also said: “Clearly a lot of children have been left behind. The answer is D!!! ‘To’ just means closest to the time itself, not insinuating that it’s necessary before midnight.”

Mind-Boggling Math Puzzle Baffles Adults and Kids Alike

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