When we get stuck, the internet is often our first port of call. But the World Wide Web fights back with a seemingly impossible brain teaser.
In a math problem that has divided readers, they are told: Seven men have seven wives. Each man and woman has seven children. What is the total number of people?
The question is handwritten in its original form on a piece of letterhead bearing the Harvard University logo.
The unlikely origin of the riddle, however, appears to be a 2021 Instagram post from rapper Ja Rule, who claimed a friend had sent it to him as part of a college interview.
In a math problem that has divided readers, they are told: Seven men have seven wives. Each man and woman has seven children. What is the total number of people?
The question is in its original form handwritten on a piece of letterhead bearing the Harvard University logo (pictured)
Doubts about the true origin of the question may stem from the fact that different interpretations of the ambiguous wording can lead to different answers – at least four, according to Internet users.
The wording of the question seems to indicate that there is no definitive answer, although the viral image of the brain teaser includes the handwritten claim that “90 percent [of interviewees] were eliminated’.
Even Ja Rule – a Harvard Business School alumnus who completed an online course – claimed he was at a loss.
The rapper, who has collaborated with the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Ashanti, posted the following message on Instagram to his million followers: ‘The answers are everywhere lol… solve this problem… What is the correct answer?’