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!
For Two Years, I Hid from My Parents That I Have a Son – Yesterday, They Accidentally Found Out
My parents weren’t a part of my life for several years, and when they came back into it, they left me shaken! They unraveled a truth I didn’t know I needed to learn, and while it caused more of a rift, it ultimately brought all those involved closer.
Sometimes life throws blows that we don’t understand, and that’s the case in my story. One day, some people quite dear to me reentered my life with the most difficult news. What they told me altered my relationship with them and my young son forever. Read on to find out more.
It was a Saturday afternoon, the kind that begged for relaxation. I was home with my two-year-old son, Ethan, enjoying the rare quiet moments when the doorbell rang. My heart skipped a beat. I wasn’t expecting anyone.
As I opened the door, my parents stood there, their expressions a mix of surprise and confusion. For two years, we didn’t see each other at all. We talked occasionally, but those conversations were very tense.
“Mom, Dad, what are you doing here?” I asked, trying to mask my anxiety as my parents made an unannounced visit.
“We were in the neighborhood and thought we’d drop by,” my mom said, her eyes widening as she noticed Ethan in my arms.
You should’ve seen my dad’s face when he saw me holding my son. He turned a shade of pale I’d never seen before. “Who’s this?” my mother demanded, pointing at Ethan.
“This is my son and your grandchild, Ethan,” I replied, my voice trembling.
The first thing my father said, his voice rising, was, “This is not your child! I see it right away!” His words hit me like a truck. I was stunned.
“Of course he is! What are you talking about?” I shot back, feeling a wave of defensiveness wash over me.
“We need to sit down and talk,” my mom interjected, her voice calmer but equally firm. We moved to the kitchen, Ethan clinging to my side. Sitting around the kitchen table, the air was thick with tension.
I took a deep breath and began, “I was 19 when I found out Kate was pregnant.” I continued, “It would’ve been fine, but you both made it clear how much you were totally against her.”
“I knew you’d never accept our relationship, and I loved her very much, so I didn’t tell you about the pregnancy.”
“What?” my father muttered under his breath.
“I went against your wishes and stayed with Kate. That’s why over the years I’ve drifted away from you.” Sighing, I explained, “I became a single father at age 19.”
“You should have told us,” my dad said, frustration etched into his features. “We could have helped.”
Years later, when Ethan was old enough to understand, I told him the truth. It was a difficult conversation, but it brought us even closer. He knew that despite everything, I had chosen to be his father, and that choice was rooted in love.
My relationship with my parents remained strained for a while, but they eventually came to accept my decision. They saw the bond between Ethan and me and realized that family is defined by love. Plus, they weren’t willing to lose me and their grandchild for another few years.
Looking back, I wouldn’t change a thing. The journey was tough, but it taught me the true meaning of parenthood. Ethan and I faced many challenges, but we faced them together. And in the end, that’s all that mattered.
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