Answer:
57
Step-by-step explanation:
Let the numbers by represented by x, y and z respectively. Taking x as the largest, and z as the smallest, we can rewrite them as follows.
x = x
y = x-1
z = y-1 = (x-1)-1 = x-2
We know x+y+z=174, so sub in the new values.
x + y + z = 174
x + (x-1) + (x-2) = 174
3x - 3 = 174
3x = 177
∴ x = 59
∴ x - 59, y = 58, and z = 57.
The smallest number, z, is equal to 57.
