Think you're smarter than a first-grader? Think again! Math problem taken from a seven-year-old's test leaves the internet totally stumped

  • The question shows a circle broken into quadrants, with missing numbers left to be filled in by the test taker
  • It was originally believed to be on a primary-level exam at a Singapore school, but the Singaporean Ministry of Education denies knowledge of the question
  • Math lovers have proposed numerous different potential answers, but no one can confirm the official correct answer

By Katie Fustich For Dailymail.com

Published: 11:58 EST, 18 May 2017 | Updated: 06:07 EST, 19 May 2017

If you look back on first grade as a simpler, more innocent time - think again, because one impossible math problem lifted from a primary school exam has left even the internet's brainiest users scratching their heads.

The problem depicts a circle filled with five numbers - four in their own quadrants, and one in the middle. Around the main circle are four smaller circles, all blank. The instructions simply say: 'Study the number pattern. Fill in the missing numbers.'

Supposedly, the question was originally listed as a bonus problem on a Primary One examination for students in Singapore - the equivalent to the first grade in the United States.

Puzzling! This completely confounding question supposedly appeared on a first grader's math test - and the internet can't wrap its head around it

Puzzling! This completely confounding question supposedly appeared on a first grader's math test - and the internet can't wrap its head around it

No answer! The puzzle was originally posted to a technology forum, where users have spent days theorizing potential solutions

No answer! The puzzle was originally posted to a technology forum, where users have spent days theorizing potential solutions

The puzzling problem made its way to the internet via the forum of a Singaporean technology website. The original poster challenged others to solve the tricky question, and reactions were a mixture of shocked and determined.

Some took one look at the puzzle and promptly declared it unsolvable. After all, with such sparse instructions, how could one ever be sure that they were correct? 

Others saw the puzzle as a real mathematical challenge and began theorizing a slew of potential solutions. Idea ranged from overly-complex ('you multiply each number by three and then divide by two - then you add all of the numbers up!') to the overly-simple ('just put the number of digits in each quadrant - one or two'). 

Eventually, someone pointed out that the puzzle bears a striking resemblance to something known in math circles as the 'Petite Circle-Sum.' This problem, originally developed by math blogger G. R. Burgin, has a much more logical explanation.  

Simple! One person suggested this simple solution - which involves nothing more than counting the number of digits in each quadrant

Simple! One person suggested this simple solution - which involves nothing more than counting the number of digits in each quadrant

Taking it further: This person answered the puzzle based on the theory that there was actually a missing number in one of the quadrants

Taking it further: This person answered the puzzle based on the theory that there was actually a missing number in one of the quadrants

Seem familiar? Someone eventually recognized the similarity between the puzzle on the test and another type of math game

Seem familiar? Someone eventually recognized the similarity between the puzzle on the test and another type of math game

Many think the confusing problem may have been directly lifted from Burgin's work - with one glaring change - the two in the bottom left quadrant of the puzzle is actually a 20 in Burgin's original. 

This omission may not seem like a big deal to those less mathematically-inclined, but when it comes to Burgin's solution, it makes all the difference.

As for whether the confounding puzzle actually appeared on a first grader's test - it seems unlikely. 

According to Mashable, Singapore's Ministry of Education initially stated that 'From the image, we are unable to ascertain if the question was from a school’s Primary 1 examination paper.' 

Figuring it all out: If the puzzle that appears on the test is, in fact, intended to replicate Burgin's puzzle - this chart shows how one might answer

Figuring it all out: If the puzzle that appears on the test is, in fact, intended to replicate Burgin's puzzle - this chart shows how one might answer

Flashbacks: Several years ago, another confounding question emerged from a Singapore classroom found viral fame

Flashbacks: Several years ago, another confounding question emerged from a Singapore classroom found viral fame

They later revised their comment to explain that there were 'no examinations at Primary 1.' 

Thus, the actual source of this puzzle is likely to remain a mystery. Still, it wouldn't be the first time that Singapore schools have dished out a serious brain-teaser. In 2015, a puzzle intended for 14-year-old 'Math Olympiads' went viral for its sheer difficulty. 

The logic puzzle asked students to determine 'When is Cheryl's birthday?' using a list of dates and a snippet of a made-up conversation between 'Albert' and 'Bernard.' 

While the 'Cheryl's Birthday' problem had a definitive answer (July 16), the answer to this latest test question remains inconclusive. Certainly anyone who managed to come up with a solution earned the four bonus points in their entirety. 

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