This Math Question From A Hong Kong Elementary School Test Has Adults Stumped

Business Insider ^ | 06/06/2014 | JULIE ZEVELOFF

[SeekAndFind]

This math question from an admissions test for an elementary school in Hong Kong is going viral in China.

According to ChinaSmack, it was the second-most-popular post on Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo on June 5, when it was published.

The question was part of an admissions test for first-graders. They had 20 seconds to answer. Can you solve it?

via ChinaSmack

Stumped? Scroll down for the answer.

[djf]

Less than ten seconds - if it’s a multiple choice, the answer is obvious.
That is, if you speak Korean!

(which I don’t)

[Big Horn]

yes its 87

[Vendome]

78?

[Beowulf9]

18 (have’t looked)

[jwalsh07]

87

[oldbrowser]

87 You have to look the numbers from the drivers view.
that was easy/

[gorush]

The first thing I thought was “You aren’t supposed to back into parallel parking stalls” But then I saw that it was Asian drivers...

[Vendome]

Should read 87....

Should uh stayed in high skrewel. ..

[Da Bilge Troll]

I invented this puzzle in kindergarten.

[SkyDancer]

You look at it upside down. 87.

here's another stumper.

If 88987 = 7

and

09986 = 6

Then what does

75221 =?

[februus]

87 - I scored an I.Q. of 161 in 1st grade based on tests just like this one - in 1966. I was always doubtful that the test really meant anything at all though. Now that we know elephants, parrots, horses, monkeys and dolphins do just as well as humans on visual puzzle solving I’m convinced it’s all a crock.

[gorush]

I meant to say “angle” parking...everyone knows that Asian women drivers use the “braille” method of parallel parking.

[The Cajun]

Dang Chinese, kept looking for a mathematical pattern of some sort, but was too stupid to see the obvious..............dang it.

[SeekAndFind]

Well it looks like almost every poster in this thread are eligible to enroll in Hongkong’s First Grade :)

[Olog-hai]

LXXXVII

[gorush]

710 77345 = shell oil upside down

[dfwgator]

Should have known I’d wind up overthinking it.

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Dang Chinese, kept looking for a mathematical pattern of some sort, but was too stupid to see the obvious..............dang it.

Don’t sweat it... you don’t want to go back to first grade do you? :)

[grania]

It's a clever question. The numbers are written the way the people in the car will see them.

For first grade admission it's pretty obscure.

[Responsibility2nd]

87.

Took me 5 seconds.