Here’s a deceptively simple puzzle starring cheeky monkeys, ripe bananas and a little bus. At first glance it’s just three rows of icons—and three straightforward sums. Yet many stumble by misreading which symbol carries which value or by skipping the crucial multiplication step. In this post, we’ll break down each line, assign the correct numbers to monkey, banana and bus, then walk through the final expression using proper order of operations. Follow along for the clear, step-by-step explanation—and see if you arrive at the same result!
Give Your Brain a Workout!
Have you met today’s adorable arithmetic challenge—complete with curious monkeys, plucky bananas, and a trusty bus? It looks simple at first glance, but can you spot the trick before jumping to an answer?
Video
Feeling screen-fatigued? Give your mind a treat with these light teasers!
Why Many Get It Wrong
- Rushing Through Symbols – You might skim “+ bananas × bus” and apply addition before multiplication.
- Overlooking Quantity – Noticing a single banana versus a pair changes the math entirely.
- Forgetting Order of Operations – Multiplication always comes before addition in a mixed expression.
Step-by-Step Solution
Find each value
- Three monkeys: 5 + 5 + 5 = 21 ⟹ 1 monkey = 5
- Two buses and a monkey: (5 + 1) + (5 + 1) = 19 ⟹ 1 bus = 1
- A single bus and banana: 2 + (5 + 1) + (5 + 2) = 15 ⟹ 1 banana = 2
Set up the final line
- Expression: monkey + (two bananas) × bus
- Substitute: 5 + (2 × 2) × 1
Apply PEMDAS/BODMAS
- First compute the bananas and bus: 2 × 2 = 4
- Then multiply by bus: 4 × 1 = 4
- Finally add the monkey: 5 + 4 = 9
So the answer is 9.
Conclusion
What did you get? Share your solution and speed—then challenge a friend to flex their own mental muscles!
