SAT Math : SAT Mathematics

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #641 : Geometry

Circle a

The above circle has area . Give its equation.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The equation of a circle on the coordinate plane is 

,

where  are the coordinates of the center and  is the radius. 

The area and the radius of a circle are related by the formula

Set  and solve for :

As seen below, the horizontal and vertical distance from the origin to the center of the circle are both equal to this radius, and it is located in Quadrant I, so the center is  :

Circle b

Setting , the equation of the circle becomes

or 

Example Question #21 : How To Find The Equation Of A Circle

Circle a

The provided circle has the following circumference:

Find its equation.

Possible Answers:

None of these

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The equation of a circle on the coordinate plane is 

,

where  are the coordinates of the center and  is the radius. 

The radius of a circle can be determined by dividing its circumference by , so, setting :

.

As can be seen in the diagram below, the center of the circle is the point in Quadrant I whose horizontal and vertical distance are both equal to the radius. Therefore, both coordinates are positive - and the center therefore has center at  .

Circle b

Setting , the equation of the circle becomes

or 

Example Question #31 : How To Find The Equation Of A Circle

Circle a

The provided figure shows a circle on the coordinate axes with its center at the origin.  is a  arc with length 

Give the equation of the circle.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

 arc of a circle represents  of the circle, so the length of the arc is one-eighth its circumference - or, equivalently, the circumference is the length  multiplied by 8. Therefore, the circumference is 

The equation of a circle on the coordinate plane is 

,

where  are the coordinates of the center and  is the radius. 

The radius of a circle can be determined by dividing its circumference by , so 

 

The center of the circle is , so . Substituting 0, 0, and 3  for , and , respectively, the equation of the circle becomes

,

or

.

Example Question #32 : Circles

Circle a

The provided figure shows a circle on the coordinate axes with its center at the origin. The shaded region has area .

Give the equation of the circle.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The shaded region, a  sector of the circle, represents  of the circle, so the area of the entire circle is six times the area of that region:

.

The equation of a circle on the coordinate plane is 

,

where  are the coordinates of the center and  is the radius. 

The formula for the area  of a circle, given its radius , is 

.

Set  and solve for :

The center of the circle is , so . Substituting 0, 0, and 80 for , and , respectively, the equation of the circle becomes

or

Example Question #32 : How To Find The Equation Of A Circle

Circle a

The provided figure shows a circle on the coordinate axes with its center at the origin. The shaded region has an area of .

Give the equation of the circle.

Possible Answers:

Cannot be determined

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The shaded region represents one fourth of the circle, so the area of the entire circle is four times the area of that region:

.

The equation of a circle on the coordinate plane is 

,

where  are the coordinates of the center and  is the radius. 

The formula for the area  of a circle, given its radius , is 

.

Set  and solve for :

The center of the circle is , so . Substituting 0, 0, and 80 for , and , respectively, the equation of the circle becomes

,

or

Example Question #641 : Geometry

A circle is centered on point .  The area of the circle is . What is the equation of the circle?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The formula for a circle is 

 is the coordinate of the center of the circle, therefore  and .

The area of a circle:  

Therefore:

Example Question #2 : How To Find The Equation Of A Circle

A circle has a center at (5,5) and a radius of 2. If the format of the equation for the circle is (x-A)2+(y-B)2=C, what is C?

Possible Answers:

5

4

1

3

2

Correct answer:

4

Explanation:

The circle has a center at (5,5) and a radius of 2. Therefore, the equation is (x-5)2+(y-5)2=22, or (x-5)2+(y-5)2=4. 

Example Question #1 : Graphing

Let D be the region on the (x,y) coordinate plane that contains the solutions to the following inequalities:

, where  is a positive constant

Which of the following expressions, in terms of , is equivalent to the area of D?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

  Inequality_region1

Example Question #2 : Graphing

Which of the following could be a value of f(x) for f(x)=-x^2 + 3?

Possible Answers:

5

3

6

4

7

Correct answer:

3

Explanation:

The graph is a down-opening parabola with a maximum of y=3. Therefore, there are no y values greater than this for this function.

Example Question #3 : Graphing

2

The figure above shows the graph of y = f(x). Which of the following is the graph of y = |f(x)|?

Possible Answers:

5

3

2

4

6

Correct answer:

2

Explanation:

One of the properties of taking an absolute value of a function is that the values are all made positive. The values themselves do not change; only their signs do. In this graph, none of the y-values are negative, so none of them would change. Thus the two graphs should be identical.

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