Question

Four boxes together weigh 60 pounds. Each box is twice as heavy as the next box and the lightest box weighs 20 pounds less than the two middle ones together. What are the weights of the boxes?

Answer 1

well if you let the weight be

lightest x, next 2x, 4x and 8x

so 15x = 60

so looks like the lightest box is 4 lb

so the boxes

4, 8, 16 and 32 lb.

to check

the sum of the middle boxes is 24 lb

so lightest x = (8 + 16) - 20

x = 4

so looks like the solution is

4, 8, 16 and 32 lb.