Answer:
The first book was published in 1816.
Step-by-step explanation:
A series of books is published at 4-year intervals.
This means that:
The first book is published at year x.
The second book is published at year x + 4.
The third book is published at year x + 4 + 4 = x + 8
The fourth book is published at year x + 8 + 4 = x + 12
The fifth book is published at year x + 12 + 4 = x + 16
When the fifth book is issued, the sum of the publication’s years will be 10,020.
This means that:
[tex]x + x + 4 + x + 8 + x + 12 + x + 16 = 10020[/tex]
[tex]5x + 40 = 10020[/tex]
When was the first books published?
This is x. So
[tex]5x + 40 = 10020[/tex]
[tex]5x = 9080[/tex]
[tex]x = \frac{9080}{5}[/tex]
[tex]x = 1816[/tex]
The first book was published in 1816.