SAT Math : SAT Mathematics

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #2 : How To Find The Union Of A Venn Diagram

Sixty high school seniors were polled to see if they were taking history and calculus. A total of 29 students said they were taking calculus, and a total of 50 students said they were taking history. What is the minimum number of students who take both history and calculus?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We can draw a Venn diagram to see these two sets of students.

 

Picture1

 

We need to find the overlap between these two sets. To find that, add up the total number of students who are taking history and the total number of students who are taking calculus.

Notice that we have more students this way than the total number who were polled. That is because the students who are taking history AND calculus have been double counted. Subtract the total number of students polled to find out how many students were counted twice.

Example Question #1 : Venn Diagrams

Venn_5

A group of high school juniors are taking Biology, Calculus, and Spanish as shown above. Which student is not in the set ?

Possible Answers:

Andy

Patrick

Steph

Molly

Bob

Correct answer:

Patrick

Explanation:

The notation  stands for "union," which refers to everything that is in either set.  refers to the group of students taking either Calculus or Spanish (everyone on this diagram except those taking only Biology). From the diagram, Patrick and Ashley are the only students taking neither Calculus nor Spanish, so Patrick is the correct answer.

Example Question #2 : Venn Diagrams

Forty students play soccer and/or basketball after school. Twenty-four students play soccer and twenty-nine play basketball. How many students play both soccer and basketball?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We can draw a Venn diagram of these students.

Venn_1

Drawn this way, there are more students on the Venn diagram than we have.

This is because some of the students play both sports and should be in the overlap on the Venn diagram. To find the number of students in the overlap, subtract the total number of students given from the number on the diagram.

This represents the number of students who were counted twice, or the number in the overlap.

We can redraw the correct Venn diagram with this number.

Venn_2

Example Question #1 : Venn Diagrams

Venn_3

Giving the Venn diagram above, what is the sum of the numbers in the set ?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The notation  stands for "A union C," which refers to everything that is in either set  or set .

When we add the numbers together, we get:

Example Question #1 : Venn Diagrams

In a class of senior high-school students,  have pet cats,  have pet dogs,  have both cats and dogs, and  have neither cats nor dogs. How many total students are in the class?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

A Venn diagram can help us determine the total number of students in the class.

First, we must calculate the number of students who have ONLY cats or ONLY dogs. First, for cats, 15 students have cats, and 5 students have both cats and dogs.

Ten students have only cats.

For dogs, 12 students have dogs, and 5 students have both cats and dogs.

Seven students have only dogs. 

Using this information, we can fill in the Venn diagram.

Venn_4

This diagram shows the 10 students with only cats, the 7 students with only dogs, the 5 students with both, and the 8 students with neither.  Adding up the numbers will give us the total number of students.

Example Question #11 : Venn Diagrams

 

 

Let Set A =  and Set B = .

What is ?

Possible Answers:

None of the other answers. 

Correct answer:

Explanation:

 represents the union of the two sets. The union of Sets A and B is the set of elements which appear in A, in B, or in both A and B. 

Therefore, 

Example Question #2931 : Sat Mathematics

100 students are in the 10th grade class. 30 are swimmers, 40 are runners, and 20 are swimmers and runners. What is the probability that a student is a swimmer OR a runner?

Possible Answers:

2/3

1/3

1/5

1/4

1/2

Correct answer:

1/2

Explanation:

The formula for intersection is P(a or b) = P(a) + P(b) – P(a and b).

Now, 30 students out of 100 swim, so P(swim) = 30/100 = 3/10.

40 students run out of 100, so P(run) = 40/100 = 4/10. Notice how we are keeping 10 as the common denominator even though we could simplify this further. Keeping all of the fractions similar will make the addition and subtraction easier later on. 

Finally, 20 students swim AND run, so P(swim AND run) = 20/100 = 2/10. (Again, we keep this as 2/10 instead of 1/5 so that we can combine the three fractions more easily.)

P(swim OR run) = P(swim) + P(run) – P(swim and run)

                       = 3/10 + 4/10 – 2/10 = 5/10 = 1/2.

Example Question #2932 : Sat Mathematics

Set\ A=\left \{ 2,4,6,8,10,12 \right \} and Set\ B=\left \{ 5,6,7,8,9 \right \}

Find A\bigcap B.

Possible Answers:

\left \{ 6,9 \right \}

\left \{6,7,8 \right \}

\left \{ 6,8 \right \}

\left \{ \ \right \}

\left \{5,7,9 \right \}

Correct answer:

\left \{ 6,8 \right \}

Explanation:

The intersection of two sets contains every element that is present in both sets, so \left \{ 6,8 \right \} is the correct answer.

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Intersection Of A Venn Diagram

We have two sports clubs offered to a class of 100 students. 70 students joined the basketball club, 40 students joined the swimming club, and 10 students joined neither. How many students joined both the swimming club and the basketball club?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The idea is to draw a Venn Diagram and find the intersection. We have one circle of 70 and another with 40. When we add the two circles plus the 10 students who joined neither, we should get 100 students. However, when adding the two circles, we are adding the intersections twice, therefore we need to subtract the intersection once.

We get , which means the intersection is 20.

Example Question #12 : Data Analysis

High school freshmen can take Biology, Chemistry, or both. If  freshmen take Biology,  freshmen take Chemistry, and there are  freshmen in total. How many freshmen take both Biology and Chemistry? 

Possible Answers:

 

Correct answer:

Explanation:

If  students are enrolled in sciences, but there are only  students then we must find how many overlap in the subjects they take.

To do this we can subtract  from .

Therefore,  of those "enrollments" must be doubles.

Those  students take both Chemistry and Biology. 

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