A seemingly straightforward math problem aimed at 5th-grade students has left many adults confused after it appeared on the social media platform Reddit. The task is to determine the total number of pages in a book after reading a specific number of pages over three consecutive days.
The problem states: “Klein read 30 pages of a book on Monday and 1/8 of the book on Tuesday. He finished the remaining 1/4 of the book on Wednesday. How many pages are in the book?”
Redditors were quick to comment, with one user quipping: “I always think to myself, ‘Ugh. People should really be tested with basic skills before they’re allowed to go out into society.’ And then I see this and realize I shouldn’t go out into society.”
Another user added: “And now we can see why Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader worked as a TV show!”
“Today I learned I would fail fifth-grade math,” a Reditter wrote.
The answer to the tricky question? The book has 48 pages, as explained by Redditor ‘NorthernSparrow’: “The key to solving the problem is realizing that, given the fractions, our reader read exactly five-eighths of the book on Monday.”
Despite the confusion, the viral thread continues to entertain, with one Redditor humorously noting: “My only issue is that it presumes the book was started on Monday. For all we know, lil’ Klein has been working on War and Peace for 6 months and finally cranked out the last half in 2 days just in time for the final.”