Easy maths question leaves people divided over the correct answer - can you solve it?
This fiendishly tricky brainteaser has been leaving people scratching their heads.
Maths may not have been everyone's favourite subject at school, but it's hard to deny that puzzles are a fantastic way to give our brains a workout. Keeping your mind in shape is just as crucial as maintaining physical health, and brainteasers are one of the best forms of exercise for this vital organ - they can help enhance cognitive function and ward off degenerative diseases like dementia.
So if you're on the hunt for a challenge to test your brain today, why not give this perplexing maths puzzle a go? It's reportedly so baffling that people can't figure out what the real answer is - as there appear to be two possible solutions.
In a TikTok video, a couple named Jennie and Nick - who regularly post brainteaser content - filmed themselves during a car journey when Jennie posed the question to her husband: "What is half of two plus two?"
Nick responded immediately, stating that "two plus two is four, so half of that would be two". However, he was taken aback when Jennie revealed the answer is not two, and repeated the question to him again.
The conversation went back and forth for a while, with Nick insisting the answer must be two, because it is half of the sum 2+2. He even pointed out if he halved the numbers before adding them, the answer would still be two, as he would then be calculating 1+1.
Nick had an epiphany and resorted to what he described as "outside of the box thinking" saying: "What is half of 2+2? A maths equation. It's a maths equation. Half of 2+2, you ask what is this, it's a maths equation."
Although Jennie found his approach intriguing, it wasn't the correct solution. To arrive at the right answer, one must consider the question from a different angle. It's particularly helpful to envision a comma splitting the equation, rephrasing it as: "What is half of two, plus two? ".
With the question reformulated in this manner, the answer becomes apparent: three. One is half of two, and adding two brings us to three - the conclusion Jennie was hoping her husband would reach.
The video's commenters were divided on the issue, with some insisting that the obvious answer is three, while others supported Nick's interpretation, arguing it's two. One viewer remarked: "What is two plus two? Four. Half of that is two no matter how you play the word game."
Yet another countered, stating: "It's either two or three depending where you put the emphasis."