How a Simple Math Puzzle Outsmarted Me – Until I Saw the Trick
When I first saw the question, it felt like one of those viral brain teasers your uncle shares on Facebook with a caption like, “Only geniuses get this right!” The handwriting was playful, the message confident: “90% get it wrong!” And I thought, Challenge accepted.
The question seemed simple enough. Seven years and six months ago, mom was 23 years old. How old will she be in seven years and six months?
At first glance, I thought, “Okay, if she was 23 then, and we’re moving 7 years 6 months forward… that just means she’s 23 + 15 = 38 now.”
And then I paused.
Wait… why am I adding 15 years?
Suddenly, I realized this riddle wasn’t just testing basic math—it was testing logic and attention to detail.
Here’s the trick:
The phrase “7 years 6 months ago” tells us about her past. If she was 23 then, and we want to know how old she’ll be in 7 years 6 months from now, we need to calculate the total time span between those two points.
That total is:
-
7 years 6 months (from the past to the present)
-
7 years 6 months (from the present to the future)
= 15 years
So if she was 23 years old 15 years ago, then now she must be:
23 + 15 = 38 years old today
Then, in 7 years and 6 months, she’ll be:
38 + 7.5 = 45.5 years old
Or if we stick to years and months:
45 years and 6 months
That’s the correct answer.
But the reason 90% of people get it wrong? Because most assume the problem is only asking them to add 7 years 6 months to 23—which gives 30.5. That’s a trap. The question isn’t asking about her age 7.5 years after she was 23. It’s asking about her age 7.5 years from now, based on the information that 7.5 years ago she was 23.
It’s a simple trick of framing—but one that reveals how easily we jump to conclusions when we assume rather than slow down and think.
That puzzle taught me something bigger: in life, we often misjudge situations not because we lack intelligence, but because we rush to solve before fully understanding the question.
So the next time someone hands you a “simple” riddle, pause. Read carefully. Question every assumption.
Because sometimes, the smartest answer isn’t about how fast you can solve the problem—it’s about how clearly you can see what’s actually being asked.
