Three consecutive natural numbers are such that at the square of middl...
Problem: Three consecutive natural numbers are such that the square of the middle number exceeds the difference of the squares of the other two by 60. Find the numbers.
Solution:
Let's assume the three consecutive natural numbers as x, x+1, and x+2.
We are given that the square of the middle number (x+1) exceeds the difference of the squares of the other two (x^2 - (x+2)^2) by 60.
So, we can write the equation as:
(x+1)^2 = x^2 - (x+2)^2 + 60
Expanding the equation:
(x+1)^2 = x^2 - (x^2 + 4x + 4) + 60
x^2 + 2x + 1 = x^2 - x^2 - 4x - 4 + 60
x^2 + 2x + 1 = -4x + 56
x^2 + 6x + 1 - 56 = 0
x^2 + 6x - 55 = 0
Factoring the quadratic equation:
(x + 11)(x - 5) = 0
So, we have two possible values for x:
x + 11 = 0 --> x = -11
or
x - 5 = 0 --> x = 5
Since we need to find three consecutive natural numbers, we disregard the negative value -11.
Therefore, the three consecutive natural numbers are 5, 6, and 7.
Answer: The numbers are 5, 6, and 7.
Three consecutive natural numbers are such that at the square of middl...