This children riddle turned out to be too difficult for adults

Naw...change it to 21...? Remembering to multiply before adding...damn that algebra, remembering after 65 years is hard!

You don't do the multiplication first unless that part of the equation is in parenthesis

21

Bridget Magar You are mistaken. There is an acronym to help you remember the order of mathematical operations. That is: PEMDAS or you might chose the mnemonic device, Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division (done from left to right in the order they appear in the equation), followed by Addition and Subtraction (done from left to right in the order they appear in the equation). The equation has no parentheses or exponents. The only two operations to do are addition and multiplication. Because we must follow the order of operations, multiplication is done prior to addition. Your answer can only be 21.

The answer is 42. The problem is that people don't know that you multiply before you add.

I disagree. I contend that there is insufficient information to solve. If the values of boots and horseshoes was only dependent on or indicative of how many are on the line of the equation, then why are the three horses separated by plus signs on the first line? They could be expressed just as three horses. Therfore, the symbol of two horseshoes is different than the symbol of one, beyond being twice as many. Same for the boots/boot. There is no reference for what the single symbols represent.

The answer is 21. A review of the video might clarify where you went wrong. Please note that there is only one boot and one horseshoe in the final equation. You are correct about the order of operations, but you assigned the incorrect values to the single boot and the single horseshoe.

Bridget Bott-Magar Either you were taught incorrectly or your memory of what was taught has clouded over the years. I'm betting it is the latter. Many do not remember the math, science, or history they were taught years ago because of disuse. Without parentheses, multiplication and division are ALWAYS done before addition and subtraction in an equation. That is why parentheses are used, in the event the operations order is different. Rather than argue with me, I suggest you Google "mathematical order of operations" You will find the prescribed method for solving equations. It sounds like you need a refresher course.

it's 42 not 16

22 Horse = 10 Horseshoe (singular) = 2 Boot = 1 10 + 1 × 2 = 22

I guess I'm really slow, I got 24

Bridget Bott-Magar, multiplication has to be the first. The sequence of operations has to be observed.

I got 42.

Bridget Bott-Magar, I was taught the same thing of L to R unless an operation is in parentheses.

I arrived at the answer of 21 by the same method as the explanation video. 👍

21 easy.

Deffo 21.

Allan Howser, yur way off!! lol at bottom line again… it asks for 1 horseshoe and 1 horse…..not 2.

21. Follow the rule of PEDMAS.

1 boot is 1, 1 horse is 10, 1 horseshoe is 2 so 1+ 10 times 2 equals 22

24 Randy Thorpe,

I got 21

Easy. 21.