This Apparently Easy Math Problem Continues to Confuse People

An additional problem that seems easy enough at first glance is being widely shared, as people’s mental arithmetic skills keep getting tripped up by the same part of it. All you have to do is add up the following numbers. Try it for yourself:

You have 1000,

add 40,

add 1000,

add 30,

again add 1000,

add 20,

again 1000,

add 10

What is the result?

Got it? Share your answer below and then check the answer! Keep scrolling for answers or solutions.

A

B

C

ANSWER:
If you came up with 5,000 then congratulations: you’re not alone. But you’re also not correct.

The actual right answer is 4,100.

See, it’s remarkably straightforward to add up the first bunch of numbers in your head. 1,000 plus 40 is 1,040, plus 1,000 is 2,040, plus 30 is 3,070, plus 1,000 is 3,070, plus 20 is 3,090, plus 1,000 is 4,090. But it’s at this penultimate sum that things get tricky. Most people, when adding 10 to that figure, come up with 5,000. But that’s your brain skipping ahead (and overlooking a zero). The correct sum is, of course, 4,100.

Related articles

A New Kind of Home: Elon Musk’s Futuristic Orphanage Blends Innovation With Unshakable Humanity

At the academy’s inauguration, the most powerful voice came not from Musk but from a 10-year-old girl. Standing on stage with trembling hands, she whispered: “Before, I…

Leaked SpaceX Files Put Elon Musk at the Center of a New “Alien Signal” Controversy

Leaked SpaceX Files Put Elon Musk at the Center of a New “Alien Signal” Controversy A set of unverified leaked documents allegedly tied to SpaceX has ignited a global…

Elon Musk Drops Bombshell: A Fully-Loaded Tesla for the Price of a Budget Car Coming in 2026?

Elon Musk has ignited a frenzy across the tech world with a bold, eyebrow-raising tease: a next-generation Tesla in 2026 so affordable that “almost everyone” could own one…

‘Earth Is Fragile’: Musk on Why Humanity Must Reach Mars Despite the Doubters

“A dreamer or a madman?” Those are the two camps Elon Musk seems to divide public opinion into when he speaks about his ambitious vision for space exploration….

Elon Musk Stunned by 8-Year-Old Genius: The Question That Left Tesla’s Titan Speechless!

When you think of Elon Musk, you picture the world’s most brilliant minds in boardrooms, labs, and launch pads. But during a recent public Q&A event in…

Travel the World in 60 Minutes? Elon Musk’s New Hypersonic Spacecraft Makes It Possible

In a world where science fiction often stays just that-fiction-Elon Musk has once again shattered expectations. The tech billionaire and visionary behind SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink has just unveiled his most…