The REAL Answer To The Viral Chinese Math Problem "How Old Is The Captain?"

 Of course the question is not Chinese but a test question used initially by the French some forty years ago.  The correct answer is that there is not enough information to answer this question.

The shocker however is that 75% of the target audience actually attempted to manipulate the numbers.  The audience was grades five through six or there about.

This is important because it is a powerful indicator just how badly our brains are trained to respond obsessively using the expected tools at hand.

 This is a core problem that I face over and over gain when I introduce completely new information.  A fresh mind will take in some of the information and almost always default to the easy option of dismissal rather than commence the effort need to analyze the issue.  This aborts any proper understanding.