This Fifth Grade Math Problem Is Stumping Everybody — Can You Solve It?

Here at DYR, we love testing your knowledge (and our own) with math questions that we probably could’ve aced in fifth grade. This one is another one that will prove if you are, in fact, smarter than a fifth grader! This math problem is stumping everyone on the Internet right now. Maybe you could solve it!

The math equation is “9 – 3 ÷ 1/3 + 1 = ?” and the best way to solve it is by using the mnemonic device PEMDAS. This also stands for “parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition, subtraction” or the order of operations! However, there’s a twist to this one (audible groan). Many people have landed on 9 as the answer, but this is not correct.

So, what is the answer? The answer is 1. How do you get this answer? TipHero explains how to get this answer.

“What you want to do here is start over by tackling 3 ÷ 1/3 first, and no, you’re not supposed to multiply here. Divide! Hint: 3 divided by 1/3 is actually 9. Take it from there. Using a calculator, it’s likely that it will read that relationship between 3 and 1/3 as a funky way to arrive at 1 before working out the rest of the equation. If you did that too, we understand how you arrived at your final answer.”

Reader’s Digest also adds, “Now, the PEMDAS rules call for you to solve all addition and subtraction problems in the order they appear. So instead of adding first, you will solve the equation from left to right.”