Final answer:
To find the average of a and b, you need to add them together and divide the sum by 2. Given that the average of 5, a, and b is 33, you can set up the equation (5 + a + b) / 3 = 33. Simplify the equation and isolate the values of a and b. Finally, divide the sum of a and b by 2 to find the average.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the average of a and b, we need to add a and b together and divide the sum by 2, since there are two numbers. Given that the average of 5, a, and b is 33, we can set up the equation:
(5 + a + b) / 3 = 33
Next, we can simplify the equation by multiplying both sides by 3:
5 + a + b = 99
Now, we need to isolate the values of a and b. Let's subtract 5 from both sides:
a + b = 94
Lastly, to find the average of a and b, we divide the sum by 2:
(a + b) / 2 = 94 / 2 = 47
Therefore, the average of a and b is 47.