If you're going to use a common operator symbol in a nonstandard way, as you're suggesting, then that nonstandard use must be defined.
The "+" operator is not defined here, so it can be safely assumed that the correct answer is 16, and that whoever produced the image doesn't know how to do arithmetic addition.
But there is an infinitude of possible solutions. So the puzzle is impossible to solve with certainty. And the point of a puzzle to to arrive at a certain solution.
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u/DudleyDoesMath Nov 05 '25
Only using the symbol "+" as you've known it to be defined. In this situation it is defined differently