burger fun / Four Fours / Solver

Make 2 with four 4s

The classic four fours puzzle: build an expression from exactly four 4s that equals 2. 2 can be made with nothing but four 4s, + - × ÷, and parentheses.

Solutions using only + - × ÷

  • 4 / 4 + 4 / 4 = 2
  • 4 × 4 / (4 + 4) = 2
  • 4 - (4 + 4) / 4 = 2
  • 4 / ((4 + 4) / 4) = 2

Solutions with concatenation and decimals

  • 4 / .4 - 4 - 4 = 2
  • .4 / .4 + 4 / 4 = 2
  • 4 - .4 × 4 - .4 = 2
  • 4 - .4 - .4 × 4 = 2
  • .4 × (4 + 4 / 4) = 2

…and 11 more at this tier.

Solutions with square roots, factorials, exponents

  • 4 + 4 - 4! / 4 = 2
  • (4 + 44) / 4! = 2
  • 4! / 4! + 4 / 4 = 2
  • (4! - 4 × 4) / 4 = 2
  • (4 - 4)! + 4 / 4 = 2

…and 6878 more at this tier.

6903 distinct solutions found in total, after removing trivial rearrangements.

Make 1 with four 4s · Make 3 with four 4s

The Number Lab

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

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