Mathematics is not so tough as most of us presume it to be! Yes, it can be a little confusing at times, like this one where a simple mathematical problem confused many and went viral over the Internet.
https://twitter.com/LouiseBloxham/status/729027334284709893
Here is the problem:
“There were some people on a train.
19 people get off the train at the first stop.
17 people get on the train.
Now there are 63 people on the train.
How many people were there on the train to begin with?”
Undoubtedly, a number of people might have solved it in seconds; yes, it’s that easy! But somehow people were confused about the right answer and a debate commenced over the problem.
Below is the right answer:
As there are 63 passengers on the train now, 17 who boarded the train have to be subtracted from 63 and the result is 46. Now add 19 who got off the train to 46 and the result will be 65, which is also the solution to the problem.
This problem was posted on Twitter by Louise Bloxham and confused many, as it was written that 46 is the answer while in reality, 46 is the answer of the first portion only.
This was noted by Metro, “People said that the 19 was a red herring, which doesn’t make sense, or that the train was empty to begin with, which doesn’t make sense. It even says there are ‘some people’ on the train.”
Could you solve the problem easily? How much time did it take you to get the right answer? Let us know in the comments section below.
