burger fun / Four Fours / Solver

Make 12 with four 4s

The classic four fours puzzle: build an expression from exactly four 4s that equals 12. 12 can be made with nothing but four 4s, + - × ÷, and parentheses.

Solutions using only + - × ÷

• 4 × (4 - 4 / 4) = 12

Solutions with concatenation and decimals

• (4 + 44) / 4 = 12
• (.4 + 4.4) / .4 = 12
• 4 × (4 - .4 / .4) = 12
• (.4 + .4 + 4) / .4 = 12

Solutions with square roots, factorials, exponents

• 4! + 4 - 4 × 4 = 12
• 4! - 4 - 4 - 4 = 12
• 4 + 4! - 4 × 4 = 12
• 4! / 4 + 4! / 4 = 12
• 4! × 4 / (4 + 4) = 12

…and 1528 more at this tier.

1538 distinct solutions found in total, after removing trivial rearrangements.

Make 11 with four 4s · Make 13 with four 4s

The Number Lab

Same idea, different constraints: four 9s, four 4s, or any four digits you like.

• Four Nines — the daily puzzle
• Four Nines solver — every target, solved
• Four Fours — the 1881 original
• Four Fours solver — including the impossible five
• Make 24 solver — any four digits
• Today's 24 — one new hand a day

Read up on the 1881 original, pick another number in the solver, or find more free math games.