Answer:
C) 18
Step-by-step explanation:
Let x represent the largest of the five consecutive integers. Then (x -4) is the smallest, and the sum of the five of them is ...
sum = 5((x +(x -4))/2 = 5x -10
That sum is 46 less than 9 times the smallest.
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This relation can be written as ...
5x -10 = 9(x -4) -46
72 = 4x . . . . . . . . . . . . add 82-5x and simplify
18 = x . . . . . . . . . divide by 4
The largest of the consecutive integers is 18.
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Additional comment
Here, we have used the variable to represent what the problem is asking for--the largest of the integers. Often, in consecutive integer problems, it is convenient to let a variable represent the middle (or average) value of the consecutive integers. If we do that here, then sum of the 5 integers would be 5x, and the relation to find x would be ...
5x +46 = 9(x -2)
This resolves to 64=4x ⇒ x=16, so the largest integer is x+2=18. The number of steps is about the same, but the sum is easier to find, and there aren't as many constant terms to play with in solving for x.
