Brain Out Level 51

Overview

The prompt "How many French Fries below?" shows six red fry containers, each with a yellow 3 printed on the side, arranged in two rows of three. Below them is a counter with a minus button, a number readout currently at 0, and a plus button, plus Clear and OK buttons. At first glance there are clearly six containers, and each says 3, so the naive answer is either 6 or 18. The actual answer is neither — the containers are stacked with hidden ones behind them, and the 3 on each box is not a count at all.

• Difficulty: Regular
• Estimated moves: 3

Step-by-Step Solution

1. Look closely at the six visible fry containers. They are drawn as if each one is sitting behind or in front of another, with partial containers peeking out at the edges.
2. Drag the visible containers apart, sliding them around the screen. As you move them, you will reveal additional fry boxes hidden directly behind the ones you can see.
3. Count every container, visible and hidden. The total number of fry boxes on the screen, once all of them are uncovered, is ten.
4. Use the plus button on the counter to raise the number readout from 0 to 10.
5. Tap OK. The green check appears and the congratulations popup loads.

Each red carton has a large yellow number 3 printed on its side. This number is the branding on the fry container and is not a count of fries inside. There are six visible cartons, but several of them are drawn overlapping, with partial sides peeking out behind the front row.

Drag each carton to the side, one at a time, to reveal the boxes hidden behind them. You will find four additional cartons that were completely concealed. Once all ten are visible, use the plus button to raise the counter to 10 and tap OK. The game shows a green check over one of the cartons to confirm the count.

Drag each carton slowly to the side. As you move the first carton, you will see another box peeking out from behind it. Move every visible carton, including the ones in the front row, until no more shapes appear. You should end up with ten cartons total. The counter uses the plus and minus arrows, so press plus ten times carefully. If you overshoot, press minus. Once the counter reads 10, tap OK. The green check appears over the eighth carton on the second row.

Strategy & Reasoning

The number 3 printed on each red box is a decoration, not a count of fries inside. The puzzle is asking how many fry containers are actually drawn on screen. The artist intentionally overlapped the boxes so that several are partially obscured, and the only way to count them is to drag the foreground boxes away. The correct total is ten containers: the six you can see plus four that were hidden behind them. Answering 6 ignores the hidden ones; answering 18 (six times three) misreads the 3 labels as multiplicands. Both are rejected.

Tips & Common Mistakes

• Do not multiply the visible count by the number 3 on each box. That 3 is just branding on the red carton.
• Do not count only the six boxes you see at first. Several more are hidden behind the front row and must be revealed by dragging.
• Do not answer 6. The hidden containers push the total to 10.