What three numbers have an average of 972?
Part 1: Understanding the Problem
We're looking for three numbers whose average is 972. This means if we add these three numbers together and divide by 3, we should get 972.
Step-by-step Solution:
- Recall the average formula: Average = (Sum of numbers) / (Count of numbers)
- In this case: 972 = (x + y + z) / 3
- To find the sum, multiply both sides by 3: 972 * 3 = x + y + z
- So, the sum of our three numbers should be: 2916
Part 2: Finding Solutions
Now, let's find multiple sets of three numbers that add up to 2916.
Solution 1:
972, 972, 972
Verification:
(972 + 972 + 972) / 3 = 2916 / 3 ≈ 972
This solution is correct!
Solution 2:
972, 972, 972
Verification:
(972 + 972 + 972) / 3 = 2916 / 3 ≈ 972
This solution is correct!
Solution 3:
2123, 272, 521
Verification:
(2123 + 272 + 521) / 3 = 2916 / 3 ≈ 972
This solution is correct!
Solution 4:
1507, 701, 708
Verification:
(1507 + 701 + 708) / 3 = 2916 / 3 ≈ 972
This solution is correct!
Solution 5:
2340, 286, 290
Verification:
(2340 + 286 + 290) / 3 = 2916 / 3 ≈ 972
This solution is correct!
Explanation:
As you can see, there are many possible solutions. We can find more by:
- Choosing any two numbers
- Subtracting their sum from 2916 to get the third number
Remember:
- The numbers don't have to be whole numbers.
- They can even be negative (although that might not make sense in some real-world contexts).
- The order of the numbers doesn't matter for the average.