Skip to main content

Ad

clock-iconPUBLISHEDJanuary 12, 2017
comments icon1

Can You Solve This First Grade Math Problem?

Benjamin Taub headshot

Benjamin Taub

Benjamin holds a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London and has previously worked in the fields of psychedelic neuroscience and mental health.

Freelance Writer

Benjamin holds a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London and has previously worked in the fields of psychedelic neuroscience and mental health.View full profile

Benjamin holds a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London and has previously worked in the fields of psychedelic neuroscience and mental health.

View full profile
article image

Homework never used to be this hard. Africa Studio/Shutterstock


There are few things more embarrassing than failing to outsmart a six-year-old, but the parents of this first-grader were left stumped by his math homework – as were many other adults after the problem got shared on Facebook.

The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

The Holderness Family uploaded a photo of the devilishly difficult conundrum to their profile, adding that the question appeared on the 7th and final page of their son’s homework sheet, and that the previous six pages were considerably more straightforward.

-

Challenging kids to identify the missing letter in a grid, with each letter representing a number, the question appears too difficult for most grown-ups, let alone first-graders.

However, some have noted that the answer could be the letter J, which represents the number 14, as this ensures that the grid always adds up to 40 when the letters in each diagonal line are added together.


Written by 

Add us as a Google preferred source to see more of our
trusted coverage in Search