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Everyone Is Stumped By A Simple Maths Puzzle

Everyone Is Stumped By A Simple Maths Puzzle

Facebook users were stunned by the puzzle which was shared by the parenting website Mumsnet

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden

Once you've left high school, it's understandable if maths isn't particularly your strong point. Half the time we're left wondering why half the stuff we studied at school is relevant anyway.

Yet, sometimes, there are scenarios where those classes come in useful - like solving a simple maths puzzle which looks to have stumped the Internet.

Last week parenting website Mumsnet shared a math problem that asked how much money a man made or lost - if at all - when he sold his horse and then bought it back.

"A man buys a horse for $60," the puzzle explains.

"He sells the horse for $70. He then buys the horse for $80. And he sells the horse again for $90.

"In the end, how much money did the man make or lose? Or did he break even?"

Mumsnet

A person called Peerie Breeks shared the brain teaser on Facebook but wasn't impressed by how users there fared.

"Can't understand how so many people on Facebook have it so completely wrong (and can justify it to themselves)," they wrote.

'Without adding your reasoning, tell me what you think the answer is."

Looking at Facebook users' responses, it's easy to see why as people couldn't seem to agree on what the correct answer to the puzzle was.

One Facebook user said: "Actually its even. He sold it for 70 but had to put another 10 in to buy it 80 . Sold it for 90 made 10 but put in 10 to buy it back at 80."

Another person disagreed, somehow deducing that the man was down $40 after she focused on how much he supposedly started with.

She said: "The man is down $40. Did we forget the original $60 he spent?"

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The correct answer to the puzzle is that the man made a $20 profit overall - that's because he sold the horse twice, getting back $10 more each time than the amount he'd spent on buying it.

One user particularly struggled with accepting the answer, after he tried and failed to work it out multiple times.

"I don't understand how people are coming up with 20," he said. 'Up 10, even, then up 10 is what I got!?'

Thankfully, someone commented to explain the problem, putting all those struggling out of their misery.

"He buys a horse for $60," the guy explained. "Sells for $70. Put that $10 aside. Buys the horse for $80. Sells it for $90. Another $10 profit."

If people struggle this badly after a few years of not studying maths, we'd love to see how people cope with algebra. No doubt it would be tragic.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Viral, Maths, Facebook, Community