Question

You have three consecutive odd integers. Four times the smallest decreased by 5 is the same as the largest increased by 12. What is the smallest of the integers?

Answer 1

Answer:

The smallest of the integers is 7

Step-by-step explanation:

Let the integers be x, y and z

From the question, the integers are consecutive odd integers.

Hence,

If the smallest of the integers is x and the largest is z, then we can write that,

x + 2 = y and

y + 2 = z

Then, x + 2 + 2 = z

∴ x + 4 = z ....... (1)

From the question, four times the smallest decreased by 5 is the same as the largest increased by 12, that is

4x -5 = z + 12 ....... (2)

Put the value of z = x + 4 in equation (1) into equation (2),

We then get

4x - 5 = x + 4 + 12

4x - x = 4 + 12 + 5

3x = 21

x = 7

Hence, the smallest of the integers is 7

The other integers are 9 and 11 ( y= 9 and z = 11)