Expert mathematicians stumped by simple subtractions

Mathematics is seen as the pinnacle of abstract thinking. But are we capable of filtering out our knowledge about the world to prevent it from interfering with our calculations? Researchers have demonstrated that our ability to solve mathematical problems is influenced by non-mathematical knowledge, which results in mistakes. The findings indicate that high-level mathematicians can be duped by some aspects of their knowledge about the world and fail to solve primary school-level subtraction problems.