Banana Riddle: A Brain-Teasing Journey

So, you think you’re up for a challenge, huh? Well, here’s a little reverse psychology for you: whatever you do, don’t read till the end of this article. Seriously, don’t. Your curiosity doesn’t stand a chance against the mental gymnastics required to solve this Banana Riddle!

Let’s Set the Stage…

Picture this: you’re sitting in a cozy coffee shop, sipping on your favorite latte, when suddenly, your friend slides a napkin towards you. On it, scribbled in hasty handwriting, is the following math puzzle:

9 × 2 − 5 + 3 ÷ 1 + 8 =🍌

You glance at it and scoff. Mental math is your thing, right? But you can’t shake the feeling that there’s a trick hidden somewhere in this banana equation. Spoiler alert: there is indeed, but let’s not jump the gun.

The Journey Begins

First off, understand that this isn’t your typical arithmetic exercise. Instead, you need to outsmart the messy mix of multiplication, division, addition, and subtraction. Dive headfirst into the puzzle but keep your life jacket nearby to avoid drowning in a sea of numbers.

To solve it, follow the holy grail of math operations – PEMDAS (Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, Addition and Subtraction). A rule so revered, it should have its own shrine.

Let’s break it down step-by-step:

Start with the multiplication: 9 × 2 = 18. That’s simple enough. Next up is the division part of our PEMDAS journey. Here, 3 ÷ 1 is a no-brainer, giving us another 3 to add to our mathematical kaleidoscope.

Strings Attached

Now we have: 18 – 5 + 3 + 8. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy, right? Remove that cringe expression from your face, because it’s about to get juicier.

Slug through the unpleasant but essential subtraction: 18 – 5 = 13. Not bad. Toss in that 3 from our earlier epoch: 13 + 3 = 16.

Lastly, spritz on the final pinch of mathematical seasoning: adding 16 and 8, and voila, we arrive at 24.

Drumroll, Please…

And there you have it folks, the grand reveal for our Banana Riddle. Hold on to your seats, because the answer to this tantalizing puzzle is none other than:

24

See, wasn’t that a fun ride? Math is like that one friend who seems kinda boring until you realize they have the best stories. The next time you face a riddle as fruity as this one, you’ll know you’re up to the challenge. But if you didn’t reach this end point and still think math is a troublesome trickster, don’t say we didn’t warn you!