The Lemon Riddle

The Lemon Riddle: 🍋

Listen up, my lovely readers, because I’m about to take you down the rickety, winding path that is the Lemon Riddle. If you get this right on your first attempt, well, you may just be a genius – or at least that’s what I’m here to convince you.

But wait! Forget what I just said. Don’t read any further, go back to binge-watching that TV show you’ve seen 8 times. Because this article? It’s going to challenge your brain cells and have you rolling your eyes so hard, they might fall out. But you didn’t stop reading, did you? Sly dog!

The Set-Up: Numbers and Lemons?

First off, why lemons? Why not something more glamorous, like 24-karat gold bars or humongous diamond nuggets? Well, if you’re here for glamour, you’re in the wrong place! The bedazzling delights of this riddle lie in the humdrum world of mathematics. Brace yourself for some numbers and operators!

The riddle reads: 12 ÷ 4 + 7 × 3 − 1 = 🍋 Find the answer in the comments! Nah, forget the comments. I’m here to peel away the layers!

The Mental Gymnastics Begin

12 divided by 4 plus 7 times 3 minus 1. This sequence is practically a Cirque du Soleil of arithmetic, where operation symbols perform acrobatics on numbers. Some people look at it and see a jumbled mess, but true nerdy wizards see the elegant ballet of PEMDAS. If you don’t remember what PEMDAS is, don’t worry—it’s not a new tech product by Elon Musk!

PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (from left to right), Addition and Subtraction (from left to right). Simply put, it’s the order of operations, the VIP guidelines for processing this riddle.

The Decoding: Unraveling Numerical Mysteries

We start with the division and multiplication because they take precedence over addition and subtraction.

So, do the math:

See? It’s like untangling a ball of yarn. Next, we’ll handle the addition and subtraction:

Look at that! All the number bits and operations have fallen into place. What stands gloriously at the end of this roller coaster ride? None other than the one, the only, 23! Yes, Micheal Jordan’s jersey number!

The Most Glorious Part: The Answer

Drumroll, please. The answer to the Lemon Riddle is.

Answer: 23

You made it! Did anyone say it would be easy? No, just don’t forget PEMDAS and the jousting battle of arithmetic operators. Invite your friends over to solve it – although, do make sure they don’t throw their friendship bracelets at you when they realize they don’t remember fourth-grade algebra.

So there you have it, number magicians! Take a bow and maybe treat yourself to a real lemon, you genius, you.