|
Question 572948: When the smaller of two consecutive integers is added to three times the larger the result is 159. Find the smaller integer
Answer by bucky(2189)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! If the smaller integer is N, then the next consecutive integer is N+1.
.
If you add the smaller to three times the larger, this can be written as:
.
N + 3*(N+1)
.
and the problem tells you that this sum equals 159. Therefore, we can write the equation:
.
N + 3*(N+1) = 159
.
Do the distributed multiplication on the left side by multiplying 3 times each of the terms in the parentheses to get:
.
N + 3N + 3 = 159
.
Add the two N terms to get:
.
4N + 3 = 159
.
Eliminate the 3 on the left side by subtracting 3 from both sides:
.
4N = 156
.
Solve for N by dividing both sides by 4 and you get:
.
N = 39
.
You were asked by the problem to solve for the smaller integer, and we called that integer N. So you have the answer ... the smaller integer is 39 and this means that the larger integer is 40.
.
Check by adding the smaller (39) to 3 times 40. This means add 39 to 120 and you get 159, just as the problem said it should be.
.
Hope this helps you to understand the problem and how to solve it.
.
|
|
|
| |
