The Correct Answer Revealed: 3 Minutes! (The Big Reveal)
It will take 3 minutes! Because the cats work simultaneously in parallel, increasing the number of workers and targets does not increase the time required.
Comparing Logical Fallacies in Word Problems:
- The Intuitive Trap: Assuming linear scaling (3:3:3 scales directly to 100:100:100 minutes).
- The Mathematical Reality: Recognizing that parallel workers operate on independent, simultaneous timelines.
Why This Brain Teaser Tricks Us
Our brains naturally look for numeric patterns in word puzzles. Seeing the repeating sequence creates a mental trap that tempts us to scale everything equally to 100 minutes. However, keeping workers in parallel means the duration remains constant.
Did you catch the trick right away or did your brain initially guess 100 minutes? Head down to the comment section and share your reaction!
