The children’s brainteaser that’s leaving adults stumped

AT FIrsT glance, it resembles the type of maths poster found on the walls of primary school classrooms.

But take another look, and you’ll soon realise this brainteaser isn’t as simple as it appears.

Using pictures of fruit to form an equation, the poser has left many adults baffled. If you think the missing number is 15, then you should probably think again.

The online puzzle asks solvers to work out the numerical value for each of the three types of fruit pictured in a way that resembles an algebra exercise.

Its first sum shows that three apples added together amount to 30, suggesting that one apple is equal to the number ten.

The second line seems to imply that each bunch of bananas is equal to four, while the third appears to show that each half of a coconut is equivalent to the number one. On the final line, it asks you to work out the total of half a coconut, an apple and a bunch of bananas.

For most people, a quick look at the puzzle suggests the answer is 15. However, those trying their hand at the problem, which has been circulating on Facebook, came up with multiple answers.

For while the final bunch of bananas may look similar to those pictured in the second sum, in fact it only contains three bananas – while the previous bunches each had four.

This would imply that each banana is worth one – making the final answer 14.

Others have argued the real answer is 16, or even – perplexingly – 20.

The confusion is unlikely to be lifted soon, with one academic who weighed into the debate stating that there is an ‘infinite’ range of answers to the problem.

Dr Kevin Bowman, course leader for mathematics at the University of Central Lancashire, said: ‘You can interpret it in many ways; one way is no more correct than

‘Infinite amount of possible answers’

another. There’s no ambiguity in the first equation; three apples is 30, so one apple is worth ten.

‘But because all the bananas aren’t the same, you could say that they all represent different amounts. You might even say that the two coco- nut pieces in the third equation are different sizes, and therefore add up to three- quarters or even seveneighths when put together.

‘In that sense, there are an infinite amount of possible answers.’

It is not clear where the puzzle originated from, but it has been circulating online since December, before resurfacing again recently.

However, despite months of discussion, puzzlers are no closer to deciding on the answer.

Bananas or what?