PSAT Math : PSAT Mathematics

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for PSAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #1 : Clock Math

If it is 2:00 PM, what is the measure of the angle between the minute and hour hands of the clock?

Possible Answers:

45 degrees

30 degrees

90 degrees

60 degrees

120 degrees

Correct answer:

60 degrees

Explanation:

First note that a clock is a circle made of 360 degrees, and that each number represents an angle and the separation between them is 360/12 = 30. And at 2:00, the minute hand is on the 12 and the hour hand is on the 2.  The correct answer is 2 * 30 = 60 degrees.

Example Question #2 : How To Find The Angle Of Clock Hands

It is 4 o’clock.  What is the measure of the angle formed between the hour hand and the minute hand?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 180^\circ\)

\(\displaystyle 120^\circ\)

\(\displaystyle 90^\circ\)

\(\displaystyle 60^\circ\)

\(\displaystyle 30^\circ\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 120^\circ\)

Explanation:

At four o’clock the minute hand is on the 12 and the hour hand is on the 4.  The angle formed is 4/12 of the total number of degrees in a circle, 360.

4/12 * 360 = 120 degrees

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Angle Of Clock Hands

If a clock reads 8:15 PM, what angle do the hands make?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 240^o\)

\(\displaystyle 150^o\)

\(\displaystyle 157.5^o\)

\(\displaystyle 90^o\)

\(\displaystyle 138.5^o\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 157.5^o\)

Explanation:

A clock is a circle, and a circle always contains 360 degrees. Since there are 60 minutes on a clock, each minute mark is 6 degrees.

\(\displaystyle \frac{360^o\ \text{total}}{60\ \text{minutes total}}=6\ \text{degrees per minute}\)

The minute hand on the clock will point at 15 minutes, allowing us to calculate it's position on the circle.

\(\displaystyle (15\ min)(6)=90^o\)

Since there are 12 hours on the clock, each hour mark is 30 degrees.

\(\displaystyle \frac{360^o\ \text{total}}{12\ \text{hours total}}=30\ \text{degrees per hour}\)

We can calculate where the hour hand will be at 8:00.

\(\displaystyle (8\ hr)(30)=240^o\)

However, the hour hand will actually be between the 8 and the 9, since we are looking at 8:15 rather than an absolute hour mark. 15 minutes is equal to one-fourth of an hour. Use the same equation to find the additional position of the hour hand.

\(\displaystyle 240^o+(\frac{1}{4}\ hr)(30)\)

\(\displaystyle 240^o+7.5^o\)

\(\displaystyle 247.5^o\)

We are looking for the angle between the two hands of the clock. The will be equal to the difference between the two angle measures.

\(\displaystyle \angle=247.5^o-90^o=157.5^o\)

Example Question #1 : Circles

What is the measure of the smaller angle formed by the hands of an analog watch if the hour hand is on the 10 and the minute hand is on the 2?

Possible Answers:

90°

120°

56°

30°

45°

Correct answer:

120°

Explanation:

A analog clock is divided up into 12 sectors, based on the numbers 1–12. One sector represents 30 degrees (360/12 = 30). If the hour hand is directly on the 10, and the minute hand is on the 2, that means there are 4 sectors of 30 degrees between then, thus they are 120 degrees apart (30 * 4 = 120).

Example Question #5 : How To Find The Angle Of Clock Hands

What is the measure of the smaller angle between the hands of a clock if the time reads \(\displaystyle 7\textup{:}15\)?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 127.5^{\circ}\)

\(\displaystyle 110^{\circ}\)

\(\displaystyle 112.5^{\circ}\)

\(\displaystyle 130^{\circ}\)

\(\displaystyle 120^{\circ}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 127.5^{\circ}\)

Explanation:

First, we must determine where the hands are located at this time. The minute hand will be exactly on the three. The hour hand will be a little bit (15 mins) passed the seven. A circle has \(\displaystyle 360^{\circ}\) in it, so because there are \(\displaystyle 12\) numbers on a clock's face, each number is separated by

\(\displaystyle 360^{\circ}\div12^{\circ}=30^{\circ}\)

The angle between the \(\displaystyle 3\) and the \(\displaystyle 7\) is equal to \(\displaystyle 4\times30^{\circ}=120^{\circ}\) 

Finally, we must figure out exactly how far past the \(\displaystyle 7\) our hour hand is. If the hour hand moves \(\displaystyle 30^{\circ}\) in \(\displaystyle 60\textup{ minutes}\), that means that it must move a half of a degree every minute. If we are \(\displaystyle 15\textup{ minutes}\) past \(\displaystyle 7\textup{:}00\), we can do \(\displaystyle \left ( \frac{1}{2} \right )15=7.5\)

Therefore, our hour hand has moved an extra \(\displaystyle 7.5^{\circ}\) due to the \(\displaystyle 15\textup{ minutes}\) that have elapsed.

Our angle is equal to 

\(\displaystyle 120^{\circ}+7.5^{\circ}=127.5^{\circ}\).

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Angle Of Clock Hands

What is the measure, in degrees, of the acute angle formed by the hands of a 12-hour clock that reads exactly 3:10?

 

Possible Answers:

65°

60°

72°

55°

35°

Correct answer:

35°

Explanation:

The entire clock measures 360°. As the clock is divided into 12 sections, the distance between each number is equivalent to 30° (360/12). The distance between the 2 and the 3 on the clock is 30°.  One has to account, however, for the 10 minutes that have passed. 10 minutes is 1/6 of an hour so the hour hand has also moved 1/6 of the distance between the 3 and the 4, which adds 5° (1/6 of 30°). The total measure of the angle, therefore, is 35°.

 

 

Example Question #1 : Diameter And Chords

Circle_120_degrees

The circle above has a radius of \(\displaystyle 6\), and the measure of \(\displaystyle \angle AOB\) is \(\displaystyle 120 ^\circ\). What is the length of chord \(\displaystyle AB\)?

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle 6\)

\(\displaystyle 6\sqrt{2}\)

\(\displaystyle 6\sqrt{3}\)

\(\displaystyle 9\)

\(\displaystyle 3\sqrt{3}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle 6\sqrt{3}\)

Explanation:

To solve a chord problem, draw right triangles using the chord, the radii, and a line connecting the center of the circle to the chord at a right angle. 

Circle_120_degrees_chord 

Now, the chord is split into two equal pieces, and angle AOB is bisected. Instead of one 120 degree angle, you now have two 30-60-90 triangles. 30-60-90 triangles are characterized by having sides in the following ratio:Triangle306090-3

So, to find the length of the chord, first find the length of each half. Because the triangles in your circle are similar to the 30-60-90 triangle above, you can set up a proportion. The hypotenuse of our triangle is 6 (the radius of the circle) so it is set over 2 (the hypotenuse of our model 30-60-90 triangle). Half of the chord of the circle is the leg of the triangle that is across from the 60 degree angle (120/2), so it corresponds to the \(\displaystyle \sqrt{3}\) side of the model triangle. 

\(\displaystyle \frac{x}{6}=\frac{\sqrt{3}}{2}\)

Therefore, \(\displaystyle x=3\sqrt{3}\)

Because x is equal to half of the chord, the answer is \(\displaystyle 6\sqrt{3}\).

Example Question #1 : Diameter

Let \(\displaystyle A\) represent the area of a circle and \(\displaystyle C\) represent its circumference. Which of the following equations expresses \(\displaystyle A\) in terms of \(\displaystyle C\)

Possible Answers:

\(\displaystyle \frac{\pi C^2}{4}\)

\(\displaystyle \frac{C^2}{\pi}\)

\(\displaystyle \frac{C^2}{4\pi}\)

\(\displaystyle C^2\)

\(\displaystyle \frac{C}{4\pi}\)

Correct answer:

\(\displaystyle \frac{C^2}{4\pi}\)

Explanation:

The formula for the area of a circle is \(\displaystyle A=\pi r^2\), and the formula for circumference is \(\displaystyle C=2\pi r\). If we solve for C in terms of r, we get
\(\displaystyle r=C/2\pi\).

We can then substitute this value of r into the formula for the area:

\(\displaystyle A=\pi r^2\)

\(\displaystyle =\pi (C/2\pi )^2\)

\(\displaystyle =C^2\pi /4\pi ^2\)

\(\displaystyle =C^2/4\pi\)

 

Example Question #1 : Diameter

If the area of a circle is four times larger than the circumference of that same circle, what is the diameter of the circle?

Possible Answers:

8

32

2

4

16

Correct answer:

16

Explanation:

Set the area of the circle equal to four times the circumference πr2 = 4(2πr). 

Cross out both π symbols and one r on each side leaves you with r = 4(2) so r = 8 and therefore = 16.

Example Question #1 : Diameter

The perimeter of a circle is 36 π.  What is the diameter of the circle?

Possible Answers:

3

18

6

36

72

Correct answer:

36

Explanation:

The perimeter of a circle = 2 πr = πd

Therefore d = 36

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