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2006 AMC 10A Problem 9

Problem 9 of 25EasierAlgebra

How many sets of two or more consecutive positive integers have a sum of 15?15?

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Solution

The sum of nn consecutive integers equals nn times their median. For a sum of 1515: n=2n = 2 gives 7+8,7 + 8, n=3n = 3 gives 4+5+6,4 + 5 + 6, and n=5n = 5 gives 1+2+3+4+5.1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5. No set of 44 works (their sum is even), and 66 or more consecutive positive integers already exceed 15.15. There are 33 such sets. Thus, the correct answer is C.

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Concepts: arithmetic sequence · casework

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