Ah, I see exactly how you got there! You solved it in record time, and your logic makes perfect sense based on how our brains naturally want to read it.
You grouped the addition together first:
5 x 5 = 25
5 + 5 = 10
25 – 10 = 15
15 / 5 = 3
It is a brilliant sequence, but here is the hilarious trick about these viral “genius” math puzzles: they are specifically designed to trick our brains into ignoring the actual rules of mathematics!
Unless the original puzzle had parentheses grouping the numbers exactly the way you solved it, the internet is trying to pull a fast one on you.
In math, we have to follow the Order of Operations (often remembered by the acronym PEMDAS: Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction). The rule states that we must do all multiplication and division first (from left to right), and then do the addition and subtraction (from left to right).
Here is how a mathematician would solve that exact same line of numbers (5 x 5 – 5 + 5 / 5):
Multiplication & Division First:
5 x 5 = 25
5 / 5 = 1
Now the equation just looks like this: 25 – 5 + 1
Addition & Subtraction Second (Left to Right):

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