Math test.

[Mock Turtle]

@Stevicus @We Never Know @Left Coast @Subduction Zone @icehorse @Altfish @RestlessSoul @Curious George @exchemist @lewisnotmiller @Aštra’el @ChristineM @Mock Turtle @Jayhawker Soule


Thanks to all who replied. You have all been participating (against your will of course) in a psychological experiment disguised as a math question. And I am happy to say you all passed (whatever that means).

The correct answer is

Spoiler

The answer is "12 or 18". The correct answer is not 12. And the correct answer is not 18. The correct answer must be "12 or 18".

Or the other correct response is simply to say that the question is flawed and cannot be answered.

But I am glad to see that no one fought over the answer. No one went to war over this. So congratulations to all.

In exams, where there might be two interpretations and hence two different answers to a question, I usually gave both, so the examiner could choose how to mark me - if I recognised such. But mostly I give the lazy and easy answer especially when I just don't notice the trickery.