When is Cheryl’s birthday? Maths poser baff les world
IT was set as a problem for maths students aged just 15.
But the enigma of Cheryl’s Birthday has now gone viral online, baffling parents and pupils alike across the globe.
The puzzle tests logical reasoning and was set for a maths contest in Singapore to sift out the brightest pupils.
Using three fictional characters called Albert, Bernard and Cheryl, it challenges pupils to discover Cheryl’s birthday using three cryptic statements.
The problem was shared thousands of times on social media as people tried to pose their best solutions for what at first appears to be an impossible question.
Katie Chrystler tweeted: ‘If Cheryl makes it this hard to find out when her birthday is, she’s NOT going to get many gifts.’
David Leong joked: ‘ Cheryl obviously didn’t want Albert and Bernard at her party. Should have taken the hint when Cheryl decided to play this little game.’
One man in London said: ‘I did not have a bleeding clue! I wish I were as clever to answer something like this. But my brain just doesn’t work like that.’ Another said: ‘I suck at maths, I think I’m the worst in maths! Guys any suggestions?’
In the question, Cheryl gives her new friends Albert and Bernard ten possible dates when they ask when her birthday is, before separately giving each of them a further clue.
Test-takers are then asked to use logic to deduce Cheryl’s birthday using three statements from the two boys as they work out when Cheryl’s birthday is themselves.
Yesterday, teachers and maths enthusiasts waded in to explain that the problem can be solved through the process of elimination. By examining each statement in order, dates can be discarded until there is only one possible date for Cheryl’s birthday.
Karin McGourty, a primary school teacher based in Berkshire, said the best way to solve it was to create a table of the dates.
The problem was originally posted on Facebook on Saturday by a Singaporean TV presenter after appearing on a paper for the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiads (Sasmo).
By Monday internet users around the world were posting meticulously detailed answers to the puzzle on social media networks such as Facebook and Reddit.
Singapore is f amous f or i ts rigorous education standards and organisers of the competition said the test was aimed at the top 40 per cent and aimed to ‘sift out the better students’.
Sasmo’s Henry Ong told the BBC: ‘We are not saying this problem is for every student … but if these kind of problems can be used to stretch the better students to sharpen their analytical power, why not?’