Math Brain Teasers

Front

There are seven apples and you take away three of them. How many apples do you have? 

Back

The answer is three because that’s how many apples you took. 

Front

When does 9+5=2?

Back

This equation is correct when we think in terms of time: 9 a.m. + 5 hours = 2 p.m.

Front

A merchant can fit 10 large boxes or 8 small boxes into a container for shipping. In one shipment, he sent 96 boxes. If there were more large boxes than small boxes, how many full containers did he ship?

Back

The answer is 11 containers:

7 large boxes (7×8=56 boxes)

4 small boxes (4×10=40 boxes)

Therefore the merchant shipped 96 boxes in 11 containers.

Front

Multiply this number with any other number and you will always get the same answer. What’s the number?

Back

The answer is zero. 

Front

How many sides does a circle have?

Back

The answer is two: inside and outside. 

Front

Back

Front

One grandmother, two mothers, and two daughters went on a trip to the zoo together and bought one ticket each. How many tickets did they buy?

Back

The answer is three. The grandmother is also a mother and the mother is also a daughter. So, there were only three people.

Front

What is the maximum number of times you can subtract five from 25?

Back

The answer is once. This is because when you subtract five from 25 it becomes 20. So, from here on, you are no longer subtracting from 25.

Front

If you toss a coin 50 times and it always lands on heads. What is the chance that it will land on heads with your next throw?

Back

The answer is a 50/50 chance. There are two sides to a coin, so every throw has a 50% chance of landing on heads. The number of throws doesn’t make a difference in the chance of each throw.

Front

A farmer is traveling with a fox, a goose, and a sack of beans. He comes across a river with a boat, but he can only take one item with him at a time. 

If he leaves the goose with the fox, the fox will eat it. If he leaves the goose with the beans, the goose will eat them. How does he get everyone across safely?

Back

1. The farmer brings the goose across the river first.

2. The farmer then brings the fox across and takes the goose back with him.

3. He then takes the beans across, leaving the goose alone.

4. The fox and the beans are now on the other side of the river.

5. He goes back for the goose and brings it to the other side.

6. He now has all three on the same side of the river.