At first glance, the equation 12 + 48 ÷ 4! looks like a simple mental-math problem. Someone might treat the exclamation mark as ordinary punctuation and calculate 48 ÷ 4 first, followed by addition, arriving at 24. But there’s a hidden mathematical symbol that changes everything.

In mathematics, the exclamation mark represents factorial when it follows a number. That means 4! is not simply 4—it means multiplying every positive whole number from 4 down to 1: 4! = 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 = 24. Once the factorial is evaluated, the original equation becomes 12 + 48 ÷ 24.

The next step is following the standard order of operations. Division must be completed before addition, so 48 ÷ 24 equals 2. The equation is then reduced to 12 + 2, giving the final answer of 14.

So the correct answer is 14! 🧠 The real trick isn’t the addition or division—it’s recognizing that the exclamation mark has a mathematical meaning. If you answered 24, you likely treated the “!” as punctuation instead of a factorial symbol. How quickly did you spot the trick? Was 14 an instant answer, or did the factorial catch you off guard?