A contest will have five cash prizes totaling $13,000, and there will be a $500 difference between successive prizes. Find the first prize.
A)$4,100
B)$3,100
C)$3,600
D)$5,100
E)$6,100

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The total of the prizes is $13,000, and the difference between each prize is $500. Let the first prize be x. Then the prizes are x, x-500, x-1000, x-1500, and x-2000. The sum is x + (x-500) + (x-1000) + (x-1500) + (x-2000) = 5x - 5000 = 13000. Solving for x gives x = 3600.

A Contest Will Have Five Cash Prizes Totaling $13,000, and There