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2012 AMC 10A Problem 8

Problem 8 of 25EasierAlgebra

The sums of three whole numbers taken in pairs are 12,12, 17,17, and 19.19. What is the middle number?

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Solution

Let the three numbers be a,b,ca, b, c where a<b<c.a \lt b \lt c. None of them are equal, since all three sums are different. Then a+b=12,a+c=17, a + b = 12, a + c = 17, and b+c=19. b + c = 19. Adding all three equations together gives us 2(a+b+c)=48. 2(a + b + c) = 48. Then a+b+c=24, a + b + c = 24, from which we can subtract a+c=17, a + c = 17, to get b=7.b = 7. Thus, D is the correct answer.

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Concepts: system of equations

Problem text and solution from the LIVE past-contest archive. See also the AoPS wiki page for community solutions.