Arithemtic and geometric progession

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Homework Statement


Numbers a,b,c are consecutive members of increasing arithmetic progression, and numbers a,b,c+1 are consecutive members of geometric progression. If a+b+c=18 then a^2 +b^2 + c^2=?

The Attempt at a Solution


[itex]a + b + c= 18[/itex]

[itex]a + a +d +a + 2d = 18[/itex]

[itex]3a + 3d = 18[/itex]

[itex]3(a+d)= 18[/itex]

[itex]a+d=6=b[/itex]

[itex]a + b + c + 1 = 19[/itex]

[itex]a + aq + aq^{2} = 19[/itex]

[itex]aq=b=6 \rightarrow q=\frac{6}{a}[/itex]

[itex]a + aq + aq^{2} = 19 \rightarrow a +6 + \frac{36}{a} = 19[/itex]

[itex]a +6 + \frac{36}{a} = 19 /*a[/itex]

[itex]a^{2} +6a + 36= 19a \rightarrow a^{2} -13a + 36= 0[/itex]

[itex]\frac{13 \pm \sqrt{169 - 144}}{2} = \frac{13 \pm 5}{2}[/itex]

[itex]a_{1}=9[/itex] and [itex]a_{2}=4[/itex]

If [itex]a_{1}=9[/itex] then [itex]d=-3[/itex] but i have increasing arithemtic progression so i must take [itex]a_{2}=4[/itex].

So [itex]a_{2}=4[/itex] and [itex]d=2[/itex] since [itex]a+d=6[/itex].

Then [itex]a=4[/itex], [itex]b=6[/itex], [itex]c=8[/itex]

[itex]4^{2} + 6^{2} + 8^{2} = 16 + 36 + 64 = 116[/itex] but my textbooks says that [itex]133[/itex] is solution. What's the problem here?
 
Last edited:
Clearly your solution satisfies all the conditions. If you've quoted the problem correctly then it's an error in the book.
 
the author might have accidentally plug in ( c + 1 ) as c in a^2+b^2+c^2...
4^2 + 6^2 + 9^2 yields 133
 

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