a, b, c, d and e are equal to 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, but not necessarily in that order. If a = 3•b, b=c-1, d= a+1, then find the values of a, b, c, d and e.

Answer 1

First we use the fact that a=3b and b=c-1 to write a in terms of c:

a = 3b = 3(c-1) = 3c - 3

Next, we use the fact that d = a+1 to substitute for a:

d = (3c - 3) + 1 = 3c - 2

Since d = 4 and e = 5, we can solve for c from the equation above:

3c - 2 = 4 --> 3c = 6 --> c = 2

Now that we know c, we can use b=c-1 to find b:

b = c-1 = 2-1 = 1

And we can use a=3b to find a:

a = 3b = 3(1) = 3

Therefore, the values of a, b, c, d, and e are:

a = 3
b = 1
c = 2
d = 4
e = 5