A confusing math question made for kids has gone viral, sparking a big debate online. The tricky problem has left many people scratching their heads, with social media users arguing over which answer is correct.
In recent years, the internet has become a popular place for people who love puzzles and brain teasers. Social media users enjoy sharing their ideas, debating answers, and working together to solve tricky questions, turning the online world into a fun and lively space for curious minds.
This growing trend shows how the internet can bring people together through shared challenges, connecting people from all over the world who enjoy testing their brains and having fun.
In June 2023, a puzzling question grabbed attention on one of the biggest social media platforms, testing people’s brains and reminding them of the tough school problems they once faced
It felt like one of those classic brainteasers from school quizzes, but this time it sparked a global conversation. The best part was that the question wasn’t as easy as it seemed at first.
The Question for Kids That Confused Adults
Social media users were taken back to their school days when a tricky time-related question stirred up a big debate. A user from Jamaica, @yawdmontweet, shared the puzzler that left him confused: ‘What is the closest time to midnight?’
Jah know start diss a hurt mi head pic.twitter.com/ptYFtS9DSx
— IG: yawdmontweet 🇯🇲 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@yawdmontweet) June 21, 2023
The question, which gained over 1.4 million views, offered four choices:
A. 11:55 a.m.,
B. 12:06 a.m.,
C. 11:50 a.m.,
D. 12:03 a.m.
Many people were left confused, sharing different answers in the comments.
Most people agreed on option ‘D.’ This answer made sense because it was just three minutes after midnight, making it the closest to that exact time. The reasoning was based on how each option moved either before or after midnight, and ‘D’ was the nearest
I saw this and asked my co-workers. They all got it wrong. A is my answer. Time doesn’t move in reverse. There is just one midnight in a day.
— truthspeaker (@Anthony75270337) June 22, 2023
Since the question asked for the ‘closest time to’ and not the ‘closest time until,’ it required a different way of thinking about time. This explanation helped clear up the confusion for many people.
The way the question was worded also made people think outside the box. Instead of just using logic, some looked at how close the written times were to the word ‘midnight.’ This made some pick option ‘A,’ because it was typed closest to the word itself.
This isn’t hard guys. It’s clearly only one answer. Two of them are close to midday not midnight…
— Kay R.D. (@TheKayRD) June 22, 2023
People who chose answer ‘A’ may have been confused by the wording. Since midnight means 12:00 a.m., the option 11:55 a.m. might have seemed deceptively close
However, 11:55 a.m. would only be close if it were 11:55 p.m. In fact, 12:06 a.m. is six minutes after midnight. This small detail confused many people, showing how tricky the question really was.
Turning To AI for Help
Some people took a simple route and asked the AI chatbot ChatGPT instead of thinking it through themselves. Here’s how ChatGPT explained it: The closest time to midnight is option D: 12:03 a.m.
The Chance of Two Correct Answers
The strong debate over this simple math question made some people say that tricky problems like this can discourage kids from liking math. One commenter made a good point, offering two possible answers depending on how you look at it:
‘If you mean the closest time to when it will be midnight next, the answer is A. In that case, it would be almost 24 hours until midnight again for option D. But if you mean the closest time in minutes forward or backward, the answer is D. Trick questions like these just make kids hate math.’
This comment showed how unclear puzzles like this can confuse students and make them dislike math
Which option did you pick: A, B, C, or D?
Do you agree with those who say this tricky question might have more than one right answer?
