The text on the paper says the answer is NOT “0”!

In front of you is a seemingly simple math puzzle, and the answer might seem obvious. Take a close look at the expression in the picture: 36 − 36 ÷ (6 × 6) = ?
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At first glance, you might think the answer is 0. After all, you see 36 minus another 36. Your eyes almost automatically suggest: 36 − 36 = 0.
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But there’s one small detail that changes everything. The expression isn’t simply asking you to subtract one 36 from another. It contains several mathematical operations, and they must be performed in the correct order. That’s exactly where the interesting part of this puzzle lies.
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First, let’s look at what’s inside the parentheses: 6 × 6. The result is 36. Therefore, the original expression can be rewritten as: 36 − 36 ÷ 36.
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Now we’re left with subtraction and division. Which operation should be performed first? According to the standard order of operations, multiplication and division come before addition and subtraction.
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So, we need to divide first and subtract afterward. Let’s calculate: 36 ÷ 36 = 1. Now the expression becomes 36 − 1. And finally: 36 − 1 = 35. Therefore, the correct answer is 35.
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Here’s why the answer isn’t 0: you only get zero if you rush and perform the subtraction too early. For example, someone looking at the expression might immediately think, “36 minus 36 equals 0,” unknowingly changing the order of operations.
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But we can’t choose the order of calculations simply because one approach seems easier. First, we must calculate what’s inside the parentheses, then perform the division, and only afterward complete the subtraction.
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There’s another way to understand the same thing. The expression can be written as: 36 − (36 ÷ 36). The parentheses around the division make the structure of the calculation easier to see.
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Now everything becomes clear: the second part of the expression isn’t simply the number 36. It’s 36 divided by 36, which equals 1. So, we’re actually calculating 36 − 1, not 36 − 36. This small difference completely changes the result.
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This example demonstrates why it’s so important to read mathematical expressions carefully rather than calculating based only on first impressions. Sometimes, the answer that seems most obvious at first turns out to be wrong.
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If you also immediately thought the answer was 0, don’t worry. That’s exactly the trap this puzzle was designed to create.
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Just remember the order of operations: first parentheses, then multiplication and division, and finally addition and subtraction.
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Now we can confidently solve the problem:
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6 × 6 = 36
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36 ÷ 36 = 1
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36 − 1 = 35
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So, the final answer is 35.