Math puzzles like this one are designed to make you answer too quickly. The equation looks simple: 8 + 8 ÷ 8 + 8 × 0. Some people immediately say 0 because they see the multiplication by zero at the end, while others calculate everything from left to right and also end up with the wrong result. But there’s a standard rule that determines which operation comes first.

The key is the order of operations, commonly remembered as PEMDAS or BODMAS. Multiplication and division must be handled before addition and subtraction, working from left to right when they have equal priority. So we first solve 8 ÷ 8 = 1. Then we solve 8 × 0 = 0. Only after those operations are completed should we deal with the addition.

Now the original equation becomes much easier: 8 + 1 + 0. There are no multiplication or division operations left, so we simply add from left to right. First, 8 + 1 gives us 9. Adding zero changes nothing, leaving the final result ready to reveal. 👀

So, did you get it? The correct answer is 9! 🎯 The trick is that you cannot simply work from left to right or let the final “× 0” cancel everything before following the order of operations. Once you apply PEMDAS/BODMAS correctly, the puzzle is straightforward. 8 + (8 ÷ 8) + (8 × 0) = 8 + 1 + 0 = 9. Were you one of the people who got tricked by it? 😄