At first glance, this viral math puzzle looks easy, but the warning “Answer is NOT 12!” is there for a reason. The equation is 6 + 6 ÷ 6 + 6 × 0, and many people make mistakes by calculating everything from left to right without following the standard order of operations.

The correct method uses PEMDAS/BODMAS, which requires multiplication and division to be handled before addition and subtraction. When multiplication and division appear together, they are solved from left to right. So, the first operation is 6 ÷ 6 = 1. The equation then becomes 6 + 1 + 6 × 0.

Next, calculate the multiplication: 6 × 0 = 0. The expression is now 6 + 1 + 0. Finally, perform the additions from left to right. Six plus one equals seven, and adding zero leaves the result unchanged.

Therefore, the correct answer is 7. The common answer of 12 comes from ignoring the order of operations, while getting 0 can happen when someone incorrectly performs the final multiplication after treating the earlier additions and division as one sequence. This puzzle is a simple reminder that following the correct mathematical rules can completely change the answer. 🧠➗