Traditional brain-training activities often include familiar puzzles such as crosswords or Sudoku. However, recently I’ve found myself more drawn to a different kind of challenge like the one shown below.
These puzzles have been appearing frequently online, likely because they are both engaging and entertaining.
They are based on classic mathematical problems, the kind usually taught in middle or high school.
What makes them interesting is that they often push you to recall basic math rules you learned years ago.
Let’s try one.
You are given a simple math expression with multiple-choice answers (A, B, and C), and your task is to determine the correct result.
Problem:
40 + 40 × 0 + 1
Step 1: Apply order of operations
According to PEMDAS/BODMAS rules, multiplication is performed before addition.
So first:
40 × 0 = 0
Step 2: Rewrite the expression
Now the equation becomes:
40 + 0 + 1
Step 3: Solve step by step
40 + 0 = 40
40 + 1 = 41
Final answer:
41
So the correct option is B) 41.
