The sum of five different positive integers is 320. The sum of greatest three integers in this set is 283.

algebra-precalculusrecreational-mathematics

The sum of five different positive integers is $320$. The sum of the greatest three integers in this set is $283$. The sum of the greatest and least integers is $119$. If $x$ is the greatest integer in the set, what is the positive difference between the greatest possible value and the least possible value of $x$?

I obtained the equations
$$\begin{align}x+b+c+d+e &= 320\\
x+b+c &=283\\
x+e &= 119\\
d+e &= 37\\
b+c+d &= 201\end{align}$$

How to proceed after this?

Best Answer

Hint:

To maximise $x$, we need to pay attention to the condition $x + e = 119$. The maximum possible is $x = 118$ as $e ≥ 1$, and with this value of $x$, it is possible to satisfy the other conditions (try it yourself!).

Then to minimise $x$, the largest three numbers should be consecutive, which results in $96 ≤ x$. When $x = 96, e = 23$, but then the remaining number is $320 - 23 - 283 = 14$, so $23$ is no longer the smallest number and $14 + 96 \ne 119$. Hence we need $283 + e = 320 - d$, and in the optimal case where $d = e+1$, what value of $x$ do we need?

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