This maths question for five-year-olds is stumping adults
- Publish date
- Monday, 22 May 2017, 11:09AM

It's a maths question meant for five year olds, but adults on Twitter are having a hard time deciding on the correct answer.
The confusing question asks you to study a number pattern and fill in the missing numbers...
Apparently, this math question appeared in an exam for Grade Ones in Singapore. Lets see who can solve it.
— mmatigari (@matigary) May 17, 2017
NdooSTEM ka Jonso @ProfJNMoyo 😅😅 pic.twitter.com/uhgQAzaHei
Here are some of the responses to the question...
@matigary @ProfJNMoyo I think this might be a trick question, at least for adults. Easy for 5-year-olds perhaps. It's the number of circles in the numbers! pic.twitter.com/jJDX8bxid4
— Jim Baker (@jimbaker87) May 20, 2017
@matigary @ProfJNMoyo 15+3+0=18 0+3+7=10 7+3+2=12. 2+3+15=20 pic.twitter.com/phFJbUCc6o
— WA Police (@WA_Police) May 20, 2017
@matigary @ProfJNMoyo 2+3=5 / 18+3= 21 / 10+3=13
— John Hunton (@hunton_john) May 18, 2017
12+3=15 pic.twitter.com/rhU5tVDRyU
According to Gordon Burgin's Puzzles, the puzzle is actually known as petite circle sums.
"The number within the four sectors of the outer circle is equal to the sum of the three numbers next to its sector," he explains.
The numbers in the circles can only be one to nine and a number can only be used once.
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