The average of 9 consecutive numbers is 20. The smallest of these numbers is:

The correct answer is 16.

Let's work through this step by step.

Step 1: Set up the consecutive numbers.

Let the smallest (first) of the 9 consecutive numbers be n. Then the 9 consecutive numbers are:

n,n+1,n+2,n+3,n+4,n+5,n+6,n+7,n+8

Step 2: Use the key property of consecutive numbers.

For any set of consecutive numbers, the average equals the middle number. With 9 numbers, the middle (5th) number is n+4.

So we can directly write:

n+4=20

Step 3: Solve for n.

n=20-4=16

Step 4: Verify the answer.

If the smallest number is 16, the 9 consecutive numbers are: 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Their sum = 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 + 23 + 24 = 180.
Average = \frac{180}{9}=20 ✓ This confirms our answer.

Therefore, the smallest of the 9 consecutive numbers is 16.