<p>The best way to solve the hexagon problem is to draw the next sequence of hexagons.
You should get:
1 hexagon in the center
6 hexagons around the center
12 hexagons around the 6 previous hexagons
18 hexagons around the 12 previous hexagons
24 hexagons around the 18 previous hexagons
So the total hexagons is 1 + 6 + 12 + 18 + 24 = 61
If you want to see the picture of the 61 hexagons, go to Wikipedia and search for “magic hexagons”</p>