Every few months, a math problem goes viral on social media.
Disappointingly often, it lacks mathematical meat.
It seems over half of them boil down to the order of operations.
Image: Photo: Shutterstock Graphics: Vicky Leta
Its fine if people dont remember how to evaluate expressions like this.
Despite its simplistic appearance, the problem requires highly advanced math and wasntsolveduntil 2014.
This weeks puzzle comes from a real problem on a math test given to students in Singapore.
Graphic:Sridhar Ramesh
It is neither trivial nor a prank, but it went viral for causing rifts among solvers.
Its a tricky exercise in logic unlike any exam problem from my school days.
Did you miss last weeks puzzle?
Check it outhere, and find its solution at the bottom of todays article.
Be careful not to read too far ahead if you havent solved last weeks yet!
Cheryl gives them a list of 10 possible dates.
Bernard: At first I didnt know when Cheryls birthday is, but I know now.
Albert: Then I also know when Cheryls birthday is.
When is Cheryls birthday?
Youll be relieved to hear that the solution does not involve 80-digit numbers.
It does, however, require some careful logic.
Ill be back next week with the solution and a new puzzle.
Do you know a cool puzzle that I should cover here?
If you find the first two answers hard to believe, play around withGoogle Earthto see them for yourself.
Shout-out to Executor32 for nailing all three.
Which U.S. state is closest to Africa?
Many people think Florida, but its actually Maine by a long shot.
Africa sits more north than you might picture.
If you fly due south from Key West, Florida, which South American country will you hit first?
You actually wont pass over any South American country if you fly south from Key West.
Youll soar west of the whole continent.
It is exactly the same time of day for both of us.
How is this possible?
Typically, theres a three-hour time difference between East Coast and West Coast states.
Well close this gap one hour at a time.
Likewise, an eastern swath of Oregon (a West Coast state) observes mountain time.
So there are regions in Florida and Oregon whose clocks only differ by an hour.
In the next minute, Florida will fall back and it will be 1:00 am in both places.
I then have an hour to place my call before Oregon falls back.
News from the future, delivered to your present.
Meta Pissed Off Everyone With Poorly Redacted Docs
Meta is being very transparent on accident.
