Yeah, I hate these too. Identify the unknowns. Three consecutive odd integers will be x, x + 2 and x + 4 Set up the equation with the information you know. Three times the second is 3 times (x + 2) which equals 3x + 6 Twice the third is 2 times (x + 4) which equals 2x + 8 The second is 9 more than the third so if we add 9 to the third, they will be equal. 3x + 6 = 2x + 8 + 9 Solve for x 3x + 6 = 2x + 17 3x = 2x + 11 x = 11 Always check your work. We think that the three integers are 11, 13 and 15 3 x 13 should be 9 more than 2 x 15 Since 39 is 9 more than 30, we got it right. The answer asked for (the smallest integer) is 11.