Help with a pre-calculus hw question? Please
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Help with a pre-calculus hw question? Please

[From: ] [author: ] [Date: 11-11-28] [Hit: ]
C.D.E.Im not quite so sure how to do this question, because when I normally see a question involving consecutive integers, they equal to a number,......
The sum of two positive consecutive integers is x. In terms of x, what is the value of the smaller of these two integers?

Answer choices:
A. (x/2) - 1

B. (x-1) / 2

C. x/2

D. (x+1)/2

E. (x/2) +1

I'm not quite so sure how to do this question, because when I normally see a question involving consecutive integers, they equal to a number, not a variable. No question is similar to that one in my textbook or notes. Could someone please explain how to do it and help me out? Thank you!

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Let 'a' be a number.
It's Consecutive can be either a+1 or a-1.

Case 1:
the two consecutive numbers are chosen as a and a+1
Now their Sum is (2a+1) which is equal to x.
Hence a = (x-1)/2
Smaller of these number is 'a' since a is positive

Case 2:
the two consecutive numbers are chosen as a and a-1
Now their Sum is (2a-1) which is equal to x.
Hence a = (x+1)/2
Smaller of these number is 'a-1' since a is positive
(a-1) = (x-1)/2

In any case the smaller of these two integers is (x-1)/2
1
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