Question

Harvey plans to use 5 ft of shelving for four shelves whose lengths are to be a series of consecutive even numbers. How many inches long should each shelf be?

Answer 1

5 ft = 5 * 12 in = 60 inches
Four consecutive even numbers are: x,  x + 2,  x + 4,  x + 6
x + x + 2 + x + 4 + x + 6 = 60
4 x + 12 = 60
4 x = 60 - 12
4 x = 48
x = 48 : 4
x = 12
Answer:
Those shelves should be: 12,  14,  16  and 18 inches long.
Verification:  12 + 14 + 16 + 18 = 60 in = 5 ft.