A math question designed for kids has gone viral, sparking intense debate among thousands online. What seemed like a simple puzzle ended up leaving many scratching their heads, flooding social media with theories and discussions.
A Growing Trend of Online Brain Teasers
In recent years, puzzles and riddles have taken over the digital world, creating vibrant communities where users across the globe collaborate, debate, and challenge each other’s problem-solving skills. This trend continues to highlight the internet’s unique ability to bring people together through shared intellectual challenges.
The Time-Related Question That Had Everyone Talking
In June 2023, a time-based question took social media by storm. Posted by a Jamaican user, @yawdmontweet, the question asked: “What is the closest time to midnight?” The four possible answers were:
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A. 11:55 a.m.
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B. 12:06 a.m.
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C. 11:50 a.m.
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D. 12:03 a.m.
The post quickly racked up over 1.4 million views, with commenters fiercely debating the right answer.
Why Adults Struggled to Agree
Most users leaned toward option D (12:03 a.m.), since it’s just three minutes after midnight. The confusion arose because the question asked for the closest time to midnight, not the amount of time left until midnight — a subtle but crucial distinction.
Some participants, however, took a different approach, interpreting the phrasing more literally or visually and choosing option A (11:55 a.m.), assuming it was “closest” on the list rather than by actual time.
A common misunderstanding involved the 11:55 a.m. choice: while 11:55 p.m. would indeed be close to midnight, 11:55 a.m. is actually almost 12 hours earlier, making it a wrong answer if we go by time proximity.
Turning to AI for Clarity
To settle the debate, some users even asked AI for help. ChatGPT confirmed that D (12:03 a.m.) was the correct answer.
Room for Two Interpretations?
Interestingly, one user pointed out that depending on how you interpret the question — whether looking at the next upcoming midnight or purely based on minute difference — you might argue for two different answers.
This sparked further discussion about how trick questions like this can sometimes make math seem frustrating for young learners.
What Do You Think?
Which option would you have picked: A, B, C, or D? And do you agree that questions like these could have more than one correct answer depending on interpretation?