Published 17:07 IST, April 6th 2020
'If you can move 2 matches' answer: This Whatsapp puzzle that will test your creativity
Here is the 'If you can move 2 matches' puzzle that is trending on Whatsapp and social media. This puzzle will test math skills and overall creativity.
- Entertainment News
- 3 min read
The coronavirus crisis has led to a countrywide lockdown. During this time, most people are inside their homes to avoid the virus. However, it can be difficult to stay calm and active after staying indoors for a long time. Which is why many people have now started to share and solve online puzzles. One such popular puzzle is the 'if you can move 2 matches' puzzle that is currently trending on social media and Whatsapp. Here is the puzzle and its answer.
If you can move 2 matches, what is the biggest possible number?
The above picture features the number '508', creatively written down with a few matchsticks. In this puzzle, you can only move two matchsticks to get the biggest number possible. There are multiple answers to this puzzle depending on your interpretation of the questions. Try to find the biggest number possible by switching around the matchsticks in the image.
Answer to 'if you can move 2 matches' puzzle
The answer to this puzzle often depends on a person's interpretation of the question as well as their overall maths knowledge. Most people say that the highest number possible is '999'. This number can be obtained by taking the bottom left matchstick of '8' and adding it to the top right of the number '5'. This will convert both '8' and '5' into '9'. Then, the bottom left matchstick of '0' has to be rotated and placed at the centre of '0' to convert it into a '9'.
However, some people have found ever bigger numbers just by moving two matches. If you remove the top and bottom matchsticks of '0' and add them after '8' to form a '1', then a significantly larger number is obtained. The number that is formed is '51,181'.
If you remove the top and bottom matchsticks of '0' and add them before '5' to form a '1', then the number '15118' is obtained. However, if you flip the image upside down, then you will find an even bigger number. By flipping '15118' upside down, the number '81151' is obtained. But some people do not consider this answer to be correct, as you have to flip the image after moving the matchsticks.
Updated 17:07 IST, April 6th 2020