Question

The sum of three consecutive odd numbers is 69. What is the biggest number?

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Answer 1

The largest number in a set of three consecutive odd numbers that sum to 69 is 25, which is obtained by first defining a variable for the smallest number, setting up an equation with the three numbers, and solving for that variable.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is to find the largest number in a set of three consecutive odd numbers with a sum of 69. To solve this, let's denote the smallest of these three numbers as x. Because they are consecutive odd numbers, the next numbers would be x + 2 and x + 4, respectively.

• x = the first odd number
• x + 2 = the second odd number
• x + 4 = the third odd number

The sum of these numbers is 69:

x + (x + 2) + (x + 4) = 69

Simplifying, we get:

3x + 6 = 69

Subtract 6 from both sides:

3x = 63

Now, divide both sides by 3:

x = 21

So the three numbers are 21, 23, and 25. The largest number is therefore 25.