BALLS UP
Everyone can see the balls – but only those with a high IQ can work out how many there are in the optical illusion
We've linked even more brainteasers to try down below
EVERYBODY loves a challenging game and we've found the perfect challenge for quiz lovers to test out your expert IQ with this amazing brainteaser.
Try and count up all the balls in this picture and you'll prove why you're such a clever person but remember to read the question carefully.
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The question asks: “How many balls can you see here?”
Figuring out that there are at least 10 balls is easy as you can see them all stacked on top of each other but surprisingly a lot of people will get the answer completely wrong.
The lovely picture shows a pack of colourful balls on top of each other in a pyramid formation.
All the balls are the exact same size and shape and only differ based on the colour,
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They range from the most common red look to oranges, pinks, greens and blue balls.
It’s pretty obvious on first glance that you need to add up the number of balls on the bottom row, plus the two middle tiers and finally pop in the top ball to your overall total.
But is it really that simple?
Many people think they’re being super clever and realise that the shape could be three dimensional meaning that there are at least a few more balls hiding behind the stack to help it stay upright.
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Added these extra balls in yet or are you sticking with your original guess?
If not try and focus on the individual elements in the picture and have a proper search as all 10 are in there.
The people who designed the artwork have made this one very difficult by including a sneaky trick that has caught many by surprise.
What makes this brainteaser so hard is the amount of different possible answers there seems to be as you need to decide on what method you’ll be using to solve the quiz.
The artwork – shared by Daily Quiz and Riddles on social media – was flooded with comments full of confident guesses that all ended up being spectacularly wrong.
People threw out a range of good guesses including 25, 23, 26 and even 29 but they were all counting miles too many balls.
The most common guess was 30 which was almost double the actual answer.
One person who thought they had cracked the code even drew a clever diagram showing their workings.
They got to 20 balls and broke it down by saying there are 10 on the bottom followed by six, then three and finally the one on top.
But sensationally even this was wildly wrong despite being one of the closer guesses.
Studies have shown, people who regularly challenge themselves with optical illusions and puzzles see big improvements in their problem-solving skills, concentration and attention.
Psychologists at The University of Glasgow found that staring at an optical illusion can improve eyesight by allowing you to see small print.
And according to "These visual puzzles can give you a good mental workout that can, in turn, help you think more efficiently and solve problems more easily."
The photo left many eager to find the correct number of balls but several struggled due to sneakily placed word used in the question that really opens up a can of worms.
In this particular piece, people with a high visual IQ should be able to spot the trick being played on us all and get the solution in a super quick fashion.
A top tip is to re-read the question and stay focused on exactly what it asks you to do instead of making any assumptions – no matter how confident you are.
If you want a huge clue then we'll tell you that the important word is “see”.
If you still can’t find the total number of balls, scroll down to reveal the solution below.
There are 16 balls in the image as you're only counting how many are actually visible in the picture.
So it's seven on the bottom, five on the second row, three on the third row and the final one on its own on top.
If you still want to prove your vision is good, try and figure out what four numbers are hidden in the blurry blue image - but be warned its a hard one.
Still in a festive mood?
Look for the odd snowman out in the image below.
Or try spotting the cat hiding in amongst the cacti below.
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Most struggle, but if you really try you should be able to pinpoint the black feline among the shadows.
If you are still struggling, focus your attention on the bottom left corner of the image.
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