Many people enjoy a good brain teaser, and recently, a math puzzle about time has taken the internet by storm. It looks simple at first but has sparked lively discussions worldwide. This puzzle originally targeted kids but quickly caught the attention of adults too.
The question was posted on Reddit in June 2023 by a user from Jamaica, asking, “What is the closest time to midnight?” The four answer choices were: A) 11:55 a.m., B) 12:06 a.m., C) 11:50 a.m., and D) 12:03 a.m. At first glance, the puzzle seemed easy, but debate followed as people tried to decide the right answer.
Most agreed on option D, 12:03 a.m., since it is just three minutes after midnight. If you think about time moving forward from midnight, then 12:03 a.m. is the closest. However, others saw it differently. They believed the “closest time to midnight” might mean the nearest time before midnight, making 11:55 a.m. a strong candidate because it gets closer to midnight later that day.
The debate grew, with some also considering 12:06 a.m., which is six minutes past midnight but slightly further than 12:03 a.m. The 11:50 a.m. option was mostly dismissed for being too far from midnight.
Many people even asked AI tools like ChatGPT for an opinion. The AI chose 12:03 a.m., explaining that the question seems to ask for the time just after midnight, making it the closest. Still, the discussion continued, revealing how complex language and perspective can be.
Each choice has logic behind it. 11:55 a.m. edges toward the next midnight but isn’t just before or after midnight. 12:06 a.m. is after midnight but farther away. 11:50 a.m. is before noon and not as close as others. And 12:03 a.m. is just a few minutes after midnight, the simplest answer many agreed with.
This puzzle shows how even simple questions can open up big conversations about how we interpret words and concepts. No matter which answer you pick, it’s clear this puzzle has sparked some fresh thinking.
