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 I have recently become more attracted to the type of challenge you’ll see below.
These puzzles have been flooding the web lately, probably because they are really 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.
At the top of the picture, we see the task and then four possible answers.
Which solution do you think is the correct one?
How did you come up with it?
Take your time and think about it to 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 B: 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!
A Neighbor’s Amusing Reaction to Criticism of Their Halloween Decorations Has Gone Viral!
It’s spooky season—a time for fun, scares, and a bit of darkness. During this time of year, we expect to see creepy decorations everywhere. It’s not yet time for the cheerful holiday season.
However, just because Halloween is near doesn’t mean we can’t show kindness. One Halloween fan shared this message in a TikTok video that has since gone viral.
Salena Webb loves Halloween. She is a mother of four from South Carolina, and like many others, she celebrates by decorating her yard with Halloween items. Salena created a whole graveyard scene in her front yard, complete with ghosts, spiderwebs, pumpkins, a witch, tombstones, and skeletons carrying a casket. It took a lot of time to set up the display. But when her neighbor came to ask her to take it down, she agreed.
Her neighbor asked her to remove some decorations to make things easier for his elderly father.
Salena shared the moment her neighbor visited her to make the request in a TikTok video. In the video, the neighbor explains, “Hey, I know you’re celebrating Halloween. My dad just got diagnosed with lung cancer. He thinks the decorations are a bit scary.” He then points to the graveyard scene and asks, “Would you mind taking just the casket out?”
Salena felt sympathetic right away. Since her neighbor’s dad often spends time in his garage, which faces her yard, she understood why removing the casket was important. “I didn’t want to be a reminder of what could happen if he doesn’t beat cancer,” she told Insider. “I didn’t want to add stress to someone else’s life.”
Salena removed the casket and gave the skeletons badminton rackets instead. She moved the more scary decorations to her backyard. “I was a little sad at first,” Salena wrote in her TikTok caption, “But I realized that taking away the casket wouldn’t hurt me, but it might help my neighbor feel better as he deals with this news. Kindness is free, and compassion goes a long way.”
Many people praised Salena for her kindness. She posted the video and asked her followers what they would have done in her situation. While some said they wouldn’t have taken down their decorations, many praised Salena for her compassion.
“Now this is what being a good neighbor is all about. Kindness doesn’t cost anything. Thank you!” one user commented.
Another person wrote, “This was beautifully handled. The world needs more people like you! God bless you!”
Salena’s neighbor also appreciated her gesture. After she took down the casket, she brought him a card and some balloons. Even though there was a language barrier between them, she could tell he was thankful. He told her, “You’re good people.”
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