Can You Fix 6 + 4 = 4 By Moving 1 Matchstick? Viral Facebook Puzzle

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Posted October 5, 2016 By Presh Talwalkar. Read about me, or email me.

This problem has gone viral on Facebook, with one post having over 400,000 shares.

The ground rules are you cannot break a stick, it should be an equality (=), and you have to use 7-segment numbers (the block numbers 0 to 9 commonly seen on electronic displays). The video presents the solution.

Can You Solve The Viral Matchstick Puzzle 6 + 4 = 4?

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"All will be well if you use your mind for your decisions, and mind only your decisions." Since 2007, I have devoted my life to sharing the joy of game theory and mathematics. MindYourDecisions now has over 1,000 free articles with no ads thanks to community support! Help out and get early access to posts with a pledge on Patreon.

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Answer To Fix 6 + 4 = 4 By Moving 1 Matchstick

One solution is the equation 0 + 4 = 4, found by rotating the middle stick in the 6 to the right side.

Another answer is 8 – 4 = 4, which is found by moving the vertical matchstick in the plus sign to make the 6 into an 8.

Did you find any other solutions?

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PRESH TALWALKAR

I run the MindYourDecisions channel on YouTube, which has over 1 million subscribers and 200 million views. I am also the author of The Joy of Game Theory: An Introduction to Strategic Thinking, and several other books which are available on Amazon.

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By way of history, I started the Mind Your Decisions blog back in 2007 to share a bit of math, personal finance, personal thoughts, and game theory. It's been quite a journey! I thank everyone that has shared my work, and I am very grateful for coverage in the press, including the Shorty Awards, The Telegraph, Freakonomics, and many other popular outlets.

I studied Economics and Mathematics at Stanford University.

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Can You Fix 6 + 4 = 4 By Moving 1 Matchstick? Viral Facebook Puzzle – Mind Your Decisions (2024)

Published by

PRESH TALWALKAR

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KINDLE UNLIMITED

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References