Consecutive number word problems, step by step
Three numbers in a row that add to a given total: which three?
The question
What is the smallest page number?
The numbers on 3 consecutive pages of a book add up to 288.
288 ÷ 3 = 96
288 ÷ 3 = 96
96 − 1 = 95
asked:What is the smallest page number?
95
- Read it through once. Consecutive whole numbers step up by 1 each time, so their MIDDLE value is also their AVERAGE — find that and the rest are one step away.
- Find the middle: the sum divided by how many numbers there are — 288 ÷ 3 = 96.
- The others are one step either side of the middle: 96 − 1 = 95.
- Answer the question that was asked — "What is the smallest page number?" — 95.
How it works.
- 01
Read it through once. Consecutive whole numbers step up by 1 each time, so their MIDDLE value is also their AVERAGE — find that and the rest are one step away.
- 02
Find the middle: the sum divided by how many numbers there are — 288 ÷ 3 = 96.
- 03
The others are one step either side of the middle: 96 − 1 = 95.
- 04
Answer the question that was asked — "What is the smallest page number?" — 95.