Properties of consecutive numbers HELP! :(

[iheartalgebra]

Hi. Please help me to solve this problem. I really don't get it. It took me hours to try to solve for this but I still can't figured out how.

—> The second of five consecutive multiples of 3 is represented by 2x + 1. What can represent the difference of the 5th and 1st numbers?



Please, help me. It would mean alot. Thank you so much!

 

[JeffM]

Hi. Please help me to solve this problem. I really don't get it. It took me hours to try to solve for this but I still can't figured out how.

—> The second of five consecutive multiples of 3 is represented by 2x + 1. What can represent the difference of the 5th and 1st numbers?



Please, help me. It would mean alot. Thank you so much!

This question makes very little sense. Is this an exact and complete statement of the problem given?

As denis says, it helps to write stuff down so you can look at it.

Five consecutive multiples of 3 means: \(\displaystyle 3a,\ 3(a + 1) = 3a + 3,\ 3(a + 2) = 3a + 6,\ 3(a + 3) = 3a + 9,\ and\ 3(a + 4) = 3a + 12.\)

What can you conclude from that?

 

[soroban]

Hello, iheartalgebra!

Is that the exact wording of the problem?
Part of it doesn't make sense.

The second of five consecutive multiples of 3 is represented by 2x + 1. . Irrelevant!
What can represent the difference of the 5th and 1st numbers?

Five consecutive multiples of 3 are: .\(\displaystyle 3k,\,3(k+1),\,3(k+2),\,3(k+3),\,3(k+4)\)
. . for some integer \(\displaystyle k.\)

The difference of the 5th and 1st numbers is:
. . . \(\displaystyle 3(k+4) - 3k \:=\:3k+12 - 3k \:=\:\color{blue}{12}\)