This simple puzzle is exposing how bad everyone is at maths

Maths isn't everyone's strong suit, but we'd all like to think we can literally count a bunch of shapes, right?

It's not exactly trigonometry, but this maths problem has been bewildering people online after it was tweeted by journalist Jitesh Pillai.

It starts off easy: there's one big triangle, right? And then three definite triangles at the top. With it so far.

But then you notice that you can also make bigger triangles. And smaller triangles too. Suddenly all you see is triangles downwards, upwards, and sideways, and you no longer know what a triangle actually is, who you are or, more importantly, why humans are still allowed the internet.

Here's proof this puzzle messes with your brain: Even the consistently calm and collected world of Twitter is in meltdown.

Everyone got a different answer and no one showed their working. For example, this person somehow saw just 1 triangle.

While this person, oddly, saw 2.

Meanwhile, this person saw 3.

Another saw 4.

This user spotted 5.

And this person, 6.

7.

...8.

And 9.

Can you guess what's coming next? 10.

The answer is 11, clearly.

While this person think it's 12.

Nope, it's obviously 13.

It's actually 14, depending when you ask.

15. No questions asked.

16?

17 and now everything hurts.

No wait, it's 18.

You get 19 if you include "triangles" too, whatever that means.

We've reached the 20s.

People are just fantasising up triangles at this point.

It turns out the answer is actually 18. Probably. If anything is even real anymore.

More: Think you can solve this maths problem for seven-year-olds? Prove it