Ever heard of the P/Guillelo Puzzle: Witches, Wands, and Brooms? Well, according to Forbes Magazine, a whopping 99 percent of folks are getting this problem wrong. Are you one of them?

As this puzzling challenge spreads like wildfire on social media, most people are stuck. Whether you’re a puzzle lover or just curious, cracking the P/Guillelo puzzle is like playing a magical math game. So, what’s up mathelets? Let the fun begins!

Clues Provided by the Puzzle

The puzzle provides clues with the following values:

• Witch + Witch + Witch = 45
• Wand + Wand + Wand = 21
• Broom + Broom + Broom = 12

First Attempt

The puzzle initially proposed three components: Witches, Wands, and Brooms, each contributing to a total value. The challenge is to figure out the value of one set of Witch, Wand, and Broom, and then apply it to the final equation, Broom + Witch × Wand.

Witch:

Three witches sum up to 45, implying each witch is 15 (45/3).

Wand:

Three wands sum up to 21, implying each wand is 7 (21/3).

Broom:

Three brooms sum up to12, implying each broom is 4 (12/3).

Solution

Let’s represent the equation as Broom + Witch × Wand.

The calculation went as 4 + 15 × 7

So, the final answer is 109, which is WRONG.

• Key Details

Take a closer look at the image, and you’ll notice a few key details:

1. The witches in the top row are not just holding a wand; they also have a broom.
2. The middle broom in the third row is actually two brooms.
3. The wand in the final equation is representing two wands.

Final Attempt

Let’s take another look and correct the path to find the answer.

Witch without the Broom and Wand

Now we will calculate the value of Witch without the Broom and Wand:

Witch without Broom and Wand = 15 (Witch) – 7 (Wand) – 3 (Broom) = 5

As there are four Brooms which total to 12, so each broom is 3 (12/4).

• Witch=15
• Wand=7
• Broom=3

Solution

Lastly now solve the equation:

Broom + Witch × Wand =?

3 (Broom) + 5 (Witch without Broom and Wand) × 2 (for the double Wand) × 7 (value of one Wand) = 3 + 5 × (2× 7) = 73

Answer: Therefore, the correct answer to the Witch, Wand, and Broom Puzzle is 73.