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Printjmc
algebra intermediate
Problem
The arithmetic mean of an odd number of consecutive odd integers is . Find the sum of the smallest and largest of the integers in terms of .
Solution
Let the first odd integer be . Let the rest of the odd integers be , for a total of integers. The arithmetic mean of these integers is equal to their sum divided by the number of integers, so we have Notice that . Substituting and multiplying both sides by yields Dividing both sides by , we have The sum of the smallest and largest integers is , or .
Hence the answer is .
Hence the answer is .
Final answer
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