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2019 AMC 10A Problem 5

Problem 5 of 25EasierAlgebraProblem-Solving Techniques

What is the greatest number of consecutive integers whose sum is 45?45?

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Solution

Suppose there are kk consecutive integers with first term a.a. Their sum is k(2a+k−1)2=45,\dfrac{k(2a+k-1)}{2}=45, so kk must divide 90.90. Therefore the number of terms cannot exceed 90.90. This bound is attained by −44,−43,⋯ ,44,45 -44, -43, \cdots, 44, 45 which has 9090 terms and sum 45.45. Thus the greatest possible number of consecutive integers is 90.90. Thus, D is the correct answer.
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Tagged: arithmetic sequence · extremal argument

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