SOLUTION: three friends were born in consecutive years. the sum of their birth years is 5961. find the year in which each person was born. i need help solving this problem.

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Question 96338This question is from textbook prentice hall mathematics algebra 1
: three friends were born in consecutive years. the sum of their birth years is 5961. find the year in which each person was born.
i need help solving this problem. This question is from textbook prentice hall mathematics algebra 1

Answer by Earlsdon(6294) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let x = the year of birth of the youngest, then x+1 will be the year of birth of the next oldest and x+2 will be the year of birth of the eldest friend.
So we need to find x.
x+(x+1)+(x+2) = 5961
3x+3 = 5961 Subtract 3 from both sides.
3x = 5958 Divide both sides by 3.
x = 1986
x+1 = 1987
x+2 = 1988
Check:
1986+1987+1988 = 5961