Question

The product of two consecutive positive even integers is 120. Find the value of the

lesser integer.

Answer 1

10. Other number is 12.

Step-by-step explanation:

The prime factors of 120 are 2*2*2*3*5

To end up with even numbers, the odd numbers must be multiplied by even numbers. The only even numbers are 2s, while there are two odd numbers, 3 and 5.

So we MUST be talking about 2*3 and 2*5 with a 2 left over. That’s 6 and 10, which are by no stretch of the imagination consecutive. But we can either double the 10 (giving us 6 and 20, even less “consecutive”) or the 6.

Double 6 and we have 12. 10 and 12 are consecutive even numbers, because you can add two to get the next one.