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The sum of three consecutive even integers is 48. Find the value of the middle of the
three.

User Pirooz
by
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1 Answer

2 votes

Answer:

16

Explanation:

You want the middle of three consecutive even integers that have a sum of 48.

Consecutive even integers

We can let x represent the middle of the three integers. Then the other two are (x -2) and (x +2), and their sum is ...

(x -2) +x +(x +2) = 48

3x = 48 . . . . . simplify

x = 16 . . . . . . divide by 3

The middle integer of the three is 16.

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Additional comment

As we see here, the average of the three integers is their sum divided by their number: 48/3 = 16. The middle of an odd number of consecutive integers will be equal to their average value. Hence, the middle integer must be 16.

User Tim Meyer
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3.6k points