A Simple Counting Method
If you encounter a puzzle like this, don’t immediately guess.
Use a systematic method.
Step One: Count the normal openings
Start with:
– Neck
– Left sleeve
– Right sleeve
– Bottom
That’s four.
Step Two: Identify every additional tear
Don’t count yet.
Simply locate them.
Step Three: Determine whether each tear goes through one layer or multiple layers
This is the crucial part.
Step Four: Check the back
Look for openings that are hidden from the front.
Step Five: Decide what your definition of “hole” is
Are you counting visible openings?
Or passages through the entire garment?
Step Six: Add them together
Now you have a defensible answer.
Why Different People Get Different Answers
Suppose an image shows several tears.
One person might say:
“There are eight holes.”
Another might say:
“There are ten.”
Someone else might insist:
“There are twelve.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean one person cannot count.
It may mean they are using different definitions.
For example, one person might count a tear through both layers as one hole.
Another might count the opening on the front and the opening on the back separately.
Both approaches can be explained logically.
The Topology Perspective
This is where the puzzle becomes surprisingly mathematical.
Topology is a branch of mathematics concerned with properties that remain meaningful when shapes are stretched or deformed.
A classic example is the comparison between a coffee mug and a doughnut.
They can be considered equivalent in topology because each has one major hole.
A shirt, however, is a more complicated object.
Its openings connect the inside and outside of the garment.
If you cut additional passages into it, its topological structure changes.
This doesn’t necessarily mean the puzzle has a single mathematical answer, because the exact geometry of the pictured garment matters.
But topology helps explain why “counting holes” is more complicated than simply counting visible circles.
A Hole Is Not Always a Circle
Another reason people struggle with the puzzle is that they unconsciously expect a hole to look circular.
But holes can have almost any shape.
A rip can be:
– Long
– Narrow
– Jagged
– Rectangular
– Irregular
– Connected to another opening
A large tear can still function as an opening.
Tears Versus Holes
There is also a linguistic argument.
Some people might say a tear in fabric isn’t a “hole.”
They might reserve the word hole for a deliberate opening.
But in ordinary speech, we commonly call a tear in clothing a hole.
Someone might say:
“There’s a hole in my shirt.”
even when the opening was caused by ripping rather than cutting.
Therefore, for most versions of the puzzle, treating the tears as holes is reasonable.
What If a Tear Connects to the Edge?
Here’s another complication.
Suppose you cut a circular hole in a shirt.
That’s clearly an enclosed opening.
Now imagine extending the cut until it reaches the edge of the fabric.
Is it still a hole?
In everyday language, you might call it a tear.
From a topological perspective, the structure has changed.
This demonstrates that counting “holes” depends partly on how the openings are shaped and connected.
But even after counting the obvious tears, one more challenge remains: some openings may only become apparent when you consider what lies behind the visible fabric.
