Mathmoji: emoji math puzzles

How to play Mathmoji

1. 1

   Study

   Each icon stands for one specific number.

2. 2

   Solve step by step

   Start with the equation that has a single unknown, then substitute.

3. 3

   Answer

   Solve the final line and pick the correct answer from the options.

A worked example

1. 1

   🍎 + 🍎 + 🍎 = 30

   Only one kind of icon, so one apple is 10.

2. 2

   🍎 + 🍌 + 🍌 = 18

   10 + two bananas = 18, so one banana is 4.

3. 3

   🍌 × 🍎 = ?

   4 × 10 = 40.

How to avoid the traps

The wrong options aren't random. They are built from typical slips, so the answer that comes too easily deserves a second look:

• a flipped sign: + read as −;
• a forgotten multiplier: one icon counted once instead of twice;
• an answer off by one;
• two values swapped between icons.

Why these puzzles went viral

Picture equations look like a joke and turn out to be real algebra: every icon is a variable, and solving them is the same substitution you learned at school. Easy-looking pictures plus a sneaky final line are what make people share them, and argue about the answer.