First it was The Dress. Now it’s a math problem.

By: Bella Dalba

The world has become divided once more. This time over a test question, now affectionately referred to as “Cheryl’s Birthday,” that was first posted on Facebook by Singaporean TV presenter Kenneth Kong. The wordy problem asks readers to logically deduce the birth date of a girl named Cheryl, using only the minimal clues she gives to her friends, Albert and Bernard. Not surprisingly, it has stumped thousands.
Cheryl's Birthday was initially reported to be an examination question for 11-year-olds, but has since been attributed to a test for high school students competing in the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad on April 8. Kenneth Kong, who first posted the problem, told the BBC: "It's a really difficult question for younger kids, so that's why people were so shocked at first... but now that people know it's for older students, they just think it's quirky."
The test was aimed at the top 40% of eligible students, and was used to "sift out the better students.” Children stressed by tough examinations is a perennial issue in Singapore, but Cheryl's Birthday reignited concerns that education systems worldwide were excessively stressful. The school that administered the exam, Sasmo, defended the question, saying there was "a place for some kind of logical and analytical thinking in the workplace and in our daily lives. We are not saying this problem is for every student... But if these kind of problems can be used to stretch the better students to sharpen their analytical power, why not?"
     Others took umbrage at the wording: "I hope people picked up that the person who set the question needs to go for English grammar classes - there are at least two grammar errors," said Twitter user Clarence Singam-Zhou.
     Regardless, the question, which has been shared internationally, sparked a Twitter hashtag (#cherylsbirthday) and even a music track. Various answers and their accompanying explanations have been posted across the Internet, through a multitude of sources: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, news outlets like The New York Times and the Washington Post, as well as YouTube (particularly Georgia Tech Mathematician Matt Baker’s video), all pushing different theories as to the correct answer.
     “I’m convinced that there is no answer, and that this is all one big hoax to prove how gullible the public is,” said Sabrina Gretzmacher, a senior at Seckman High School.
So when is Cheryl's birthday really? According to Sasmo (which quickly dismissed an "alternative solution" that resulted in August 17), the correct solution is July 16. Of course, the Internet has offered other solutions: "After spending so much time together, thinking of Cheryl's birthdate, Albert and Bernard soon fell in love with each other and forgot all about Cheryl," said Elfy Bianca Hassan in a comment on Kong's Facebook page.
     Mackenzie Hunt, another senior at Seckman High School, believes that there is a simpler solution at hand: “Just add Cheryl on Facebook and you'll be notified when her birthday comes along.”