Three consecutive integers have a sum of 21. What are the integers?

1 answer

Let the three consecutive integers be \( x \), \( x + 1 \), and \( x + 2 \).

The sum of these integers can be expressed as:

\[ x + (x + 1) + (x + 2) = 21 \]

Simplifying the left-hand side:

\[ 3x + 3 = 21 \]

Next, we subtract 3 from both sides:

\[ 3x = 21 - 3 \] \[ 3x = 18 \]

Now, we divide both sides by 3:

\[ x = 6 \]

Thus, the three consecutive integers are:

\[ x = 6, \quad x + 1 = 7, \quad x + 2 = 8 \]

Therefore, the three consecutive integers are \( 6, 7, \) and \( 8 \).