Question

The sum of three consecutive even numbers is 108. Write and evaluate an expression in terms of x to determine the smallest of the three numbers. Include parentheses in your expression.

Answer 1

`34`

Explanation:

Let the first number be
`x`

The next number be
`2` more than the previous as it is an even number

The second number is
`x+2`

and the last number is
`x+4`

The sum of the numbers is
`108`, so the expression will be

`x+(x+2)+(x+4)=108`

`\Rightarrow 3x+6=108`

`\Rightarrow x=(108-6)/(3)`

`\Rightarrow x=34`

The smallest of the three numbers is
`34`.