This Math Puzzle Was Given To Third Graders — Can You Solve it?


For those of us who have long since graduated high school, when a problem for third graders presents itself, we have to take it on. However, this math puzzle may be a bit more difficult.

The following math puzzle was given to a group of third graders in Vietnam. Tran Phuong argues that the problem, though difficult, fits right into the 8-years-olds curriculum. By the end of Period II, the students will have learned the order of operations in its most basic sense: division, multiplication, addition, and then subtraction. That’s really what this viral puzzle is all about.

The Third Grade Math Problem. Courtesy of VN Express.

The premise of the math puzzle is simple: Fill in the blank space with a number one through nine with none repeating. If you do it in the correct order, the solution of the equation will be 66. Just some adding and dividng (represented by the colon), right?

According to VN Express Phuong admits that the problem is much more complex than it seems.

“This problem is difficult even for adults good at math, so it will be difficult for students in grades 3, and even more challenging for students in the highlands….I sent the problem for some people, including a doctorate in economics with mathematics comes from, but they have not given the answer.” (Via Google Translate)

Having trouble? Want a little help? A commenter on Gizmodo argues that there are several possible solutions. He has found one. You can go there and scroll down to check out his answer.

The Guardian has also released an answer for this third-grade math puzzle. Alex Bellos promised an answer and he delivered, complete with explanation. You can check out his answer here after you have had a chance to tackle the puzzle on your own.

Bellos is a pencil and paper man, disregarding fancy computer programs to tackle this problem. According to him, it takes a bit of guessing.

“As I said when I set the question there is no complicated maths involved. We tame the Vietnamese snake by a process of trial and error, making educated guesses as we go. Or, we write a simple computer program to solve it for us. Which is what many of you did. It is arguably a more instructive puzzle for budding computer scientists than it is for budding arithmeticians.”

This isn’t the first math puzzles to make headlines. A problem designed for fifth graders also left many stumped adults in its wake.

Will you have a go at the math puzzle? Or will you leave it to the third graders?

[Main Image via Matt Cardy/Getty Images]

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