The riddle usually goes like this: “I have 6 eggs. I broke 2, fried 2, and ate 2. How many eggs are left?” Many people immediately answer “zero,” because they assume the riddle is talking about six different eggs being used. Their minds quickly add it up: 2 eggs broken + 2 eggs fried + 2 eggs eaten equals 6, so they believe nothing remains.
But the wording never says the eggs were separate groups. In real life, you can’t fry eggs without breaking them first, and you can’t eat them without frying them. That means the same two eggs were used for each step. First you broke 2 eggs, then you fried those same 2 eggs, and finally you ate those same 2 eggs. Only two eggs were actually used.
