Can you solve it? Math riddle bewilders the internet

Math, as a school subject, doesn't enjoy much popularity among students. It often appears difficult and complex, making it easy for students to err in problem-solving. However, mathematical knowledge and logic are crucial components of our everyday lives and significantly impact our actions.

Despite the negative image of math in schools and the unfortunate memories it often evokes, internet users seem to be captivated by math and logic riddles. Not surprising - these riddles are engaging and offer myriad benefits. They stimulate our analytical thinking and hone our logical reasoning abilities.

Many math riddles prompt disputes and debates among online platform users. These users are eager to prove their answers to seemingly simple but actually complex equations.

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A recent instance is an online equation with an unknown variable that caught everyone's attention. This riddle stirred significant interest among internet users - with a staggering 69 million people viewing the post on Service X (formerly known as Twitter). It garnered around 300,000 likes, 37,000 shares, and 40,000 comments.

The equation seemed simple: 2x + 6 = 10

Initially, the author of the post came up with a solution that looked like this:

2x = 10 - 6

2x = 4x = (4)(2)

x = 8

However, this wasn't the right way to solve the problem. According to school rules, while we need to subtract 6 from both sides of the equation first, the next step should be dividing both sides by the number adjacent to x.

So, the correct solution should be:

2x = 10 - 6 

2x = 4 /: 2 

x = 2