Question

The average (arithmetic mean) of the positive integers , and is 3 . If , what is the greatest possible value of ?
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Answer Choices

  • A.
    5
  • B.
    6
  • C.
    7
  • D.
    8
  • E.
    9

Steps

ExplanationCalculationsHelp
We translate the statement about the average into an equation.
= 3
Theory & Tactics Method Card
TRANS1-B
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We solve this equation to find the sum of the three integers.
x + y + z = 9
We need to maximize given and that are positive integers, so we choose the smallest possible values for and .
x = 1; y = 2
We substitute and into the sum to find .
z = 9 - 1 - 2 = 6
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EQUA3-A
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Final Answer

6