What number am I?

A Simple Math Riddle That Trips Up More People Than You’d Expect

A handwritten note on lined paper poses a classic brain teaser:

“I’m a number. Multiply me by 2 and add 12. You get 30. What number am I?”

Why this kind of riddle goes viral
These puzzles spread fast because they look easy, but they still force you to slow down and translate words into math. The moment you turn the sentence into an equation, the answer becomes straightforward.

Turning the riddle into an equation
Let the unknown number be x.

“Multiply me by 2” becomes 2x
“and add 12” becomes 2x + 12
“You get 30” means it equals 30

So the equation is: 2x + 12 = 30

Solving it step by step
Subtract 12 from both sides:

2x = 18

Divide both sides by 2:

x = 9

The correct answer
The number is 9.