There is a classic Chinese math problem often given to elementary schoolers: Some rabbits and chickens are put in the same cage. If there are 20 heads and 56 feet in total, how many chickens and rabbits are in the cage?

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The problem is famous for its nightmarish solving process. If the rabbits and chickens in the cage were all to lift 2 feet, the number of feet would be reduced by two times the total number of heads, leaving 16 feet on the ground. Since chickens only have 2 feet while rabbits have 4, the remaining sixteen feet would only consist of the feet of rabbits. Therefore, halving 16 reveals the total number of rabbits, which is 8, and subtracting 8 from 20 gives the total number of chickens, which is 12.

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As a result of academic competition, the age group to which the problem is introduced is becoming younger and younger, imprisoning children in a world of absurd math problems.