The sum of 5 consecutive odd numbers is 135 . What is the second number in this sequence?

Let's denote the first odd number as \( x \). The next consecutive odd numbers can be represented as \( x + 2 \), \( x + 4 \), \( x + 6 \), and \( x + 8 \). The sum of these numbers will be: \[ x + (x + 2) + (x + 4) + (x + 6) + (x + 8) = 5x + 20 \] We know that this sum equals 135, so we can set up the equation: \[ 5x + 20 = 135 \] Now, subtract 20 from both sides: \[ 5x = 115 \] Dividing by 5 gives: \[ x = 23 \] Now we can identify the 5 consecutive odd numbers: 23, 25, 27, 29, and 31. The second number in this sequence is 25!