Math puzzles often look easy until a tricky combination of symbols catches you off guard. This viral challenge claims the answer is NOT 12, and many people end up guessing either 0 or 12 without carefully following the rules. The equation looks simple: 6 + 6 ÷ 6 + 6 × 0. But can you solve it correctly without a calculator?

The secret is the order of operations, commonly known as PEMDAS or BODMAS. These rules tell us to perform multiplication and division before addition and subtraction. When multiplication and division appear together, we work from left to right, following the same principle for addition and subtraction once the higher-priority operations are complete.

Let’s solve it step by step. First, calculate the division: 6 ÷ 6 = 1. Next, handle the multiplication: 6 × 0 = 0. Substituting these results into the original equation gives us 6 + 1 + 0. Now all that’s left is addition, so 6 + 1 = 7, and adding 0 leaves the result unchanged.

The correct answer is 7! 🧠 The common mistake is performing the calculation from left to right without respecting the order of operations, which can lead to incorrect results. Remember, multiplication and division must be completed before addition, even when the equation looks straightforward. Did you get 7 on your first try, or did the puzzle trick you into choosing 0 or 12?