document.write( "Question 1150514: Clara organizes cans in triangular piles, where each row has one less can than the row below. For example, the pile of 15 cans has 5 cans in the bottom row and 4 cans in the row above it.\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "(a) There are 3240 cans in a pile. How many cans are in the bottom row?\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "(b) There are S cans and they are organized in a triangular pile with 'n' cans in the bottom row. Show that n^2 +n - 2S= 0\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "(c) Clara has 2100 cans. Explain why she cant organize them in a triangular pile.
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Algebra.Com's Answer #771938 by greenestamps(13200)\"\" \"About 
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\n" ); document.write( "The number of cans in a pile with n cans on the bottom row is

\n" ); document.write( "S = 1 + 2 + 3 + ... + (n-1) + n

\n" ); document.write( "The sum of the integers from 1 to n is

\n" ); document.write( "\"S+=+%28n%28n%2B1%29%29%2F2\"

\n" ); document.write( "(a) S = 3240

\n" ); document.write( "\"3240+=+%28n%28n%2B1%29%29%2F2\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"6480+=+n%28n%2B1%29\"

\n" ); document.write( "Solve by inspection: 80(81) = 6480, so n = 80.

\n" ); document.write( "(b) \"n%5E2%2Bn-2S+=+n%5E2%2Bn-2%28%28n%28n%2B1%29%29%2F2%29+=+n%5E2%2Bn-%28n%5E2%2Bn%29+=+0\"

\n" ); document.write( "(c) S = 2100

\n" ); document.write( "\"2100+=+%28n%28n%2B1%29%29%2F2\"
\n" ); document.write( "\"4200+=+n%28n%2B1%29\"

\n" ); document.write( "The solution to that equation is not an integer, so there can't be that many cans in the pile.

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