We’ve all been there. A teacher writes a simple-looking equation on the board, and suddenly the whole class starts panicking.
In this hilarious cartoon by Mark Parisi, a dog teacher stands in front of his dog students looking completely exhausted. On the board is:
*6 + 6 ÷ 6 + 6 × 0*
With a sigh, he announces: _“Bet You’ll Get This Wrong! Answer is NOT 12! THIS AGAIN…”_
And he’s right. Most people will jump to 12. Why? Because our brains love to go left-to-right.
6 + 6 = 12, 12 ÷ 6 = 2, 2 + 6 = 8, 8 × 0 = 0… wait, that’s not 12 either 😂
The trick is *order of operations*.
In math, multiplication and division come before addition.
So it goes like this:
6 ÷ 6 = 1
6 × 0 = 0
Then: 6 + 1 + 0 = *7*
The correct answer is 7.
This meme is so popular because it reminds us of two things:
1. Math isn’t hard, but our habits are.
2. Every teacher has _that one question_ they’re tired of explaining.
So next time someone says the answer is 12, just give them the same tired teacher-dog look.
Have you fallen for this trap before? 👀
