SOLUTION: the perimeter of a triangle is 72ft. if the lengths of the sides are consecutive even integers, find the length of each side.

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Question 664372: the perimeter of a triangle is 72ft. if the lengths of the sides are consecutive even integers, find the length of each side.


Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
x is the smallest side
x+1 is the next smallest side
x+2 is the next smallest side (this is the largest)
you take the sum of all the sides to get the perimeter.
x + x + 1 + x + 3 = 72
combine like terms to get:
3x + 3 = 72
subtract 3 from both sides of the equation to get 3x = 69
divide both sides of the equation by 3 to get x = 23
the sides are 23, 24, and 25
add them up and they equal 72.
that's your answer.