Home Water Works says that in most homes, showers are the third-largest user of water after toilets and clothes washers. The average American shower water usage is 17.2 gallons with the average shower length being 8.2 minutes. The average flow rate is 2.1 gallons per minute.
Answer: 14
<u>Step-by-step explanation:</u>
Consecutive even numbers would be {2, 4, 6, 8, 10, ...}
Let x represent the smallest number, then x + 2 is the middle number and x + 4 is the largest number.
1st number: x
2nd number: x + 2
3rd number: x + 4
1st number + 2nd number + 3rd number = Sum
(x) + (x + 2) + (x + 4) = 48
3x + 6 = 48
3x = 42
x = 14
1st number: x ⇒ x = 14
2nd number: x + 2 ⇒ 14 + 2 = 16
3rd number: x + 4 ⇒ 14 + 4 = 18
<u>Check:</u>
14 + 16 + 18 = 48