Question

The left and right page numbers of an open book are two consecutive integers whose sum is 293.  Find these page numbers.

Answer 1

Since they are consecutive, we can define the two unknowns with ease.

The left page (has a smaller value) can be defined as X, and the right page can be defined as X+1.

So,

X + (X+1) = 293

2x+1 = 293

2x = 292

x = 146

So, as we defined before, the smaller page number is equal to x.  Therefore, the smaller page number is 146, and the larger page number is 147.