Parking puzzle baffles - but not kids

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Published Jun 18, 2015

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London - It has baffled millions on the internet, but the solution to a logic puzzle is so straightforward that six-year-olds in Hong Kong can solve it easily.

The car park brain-teaser comes from a school admissions test which requires youngsters to come up with the answer in less than 20 seconds.

It features a drawing of parking bays with a car in one of the six numbered spots, blocking the number from view.

The children were asked to work out the number of the spot where the car is parked.

The puzzle has stumped many adults because at first glance it seems algebra is required.

However, experts believe grown-ups have a tendency to over-think – wrongly believing the answer is rooted in complex maths.

But children, who tend to look at things from different angles [literally], quickly grasp the simplicity of the puzzle and nail the solution almost straight away.

Alex Bellos, who posted a copy of the puzzle on Twitter, said Briton David Bodycombe had told him the test was his brainchild. He published it in a 2002 IQ puzzle book for Marks and Spencer.

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