SAT Math : SAT Mathematics

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #63 : Order Of Operations

Find the Ratio of Solution 1 to Solution 2 in the following quadratic equation, where Solution 1 is   and  is a constant.

 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The first step is to solve for , so we will plug in the solution.

So our quadratic equation becomes

Since we know one solution, we can do synthetic division to figure out the other solution.

We can guess and check for the other solution which is , so in equation form we have

The ratio is then .

 

      

 

 

Example Question #65 : Order Of Operations

(28 / 14) 3  + ( 144 – 12 )*17 + 362 = ?

Possible Answers:

1652

3548

2288

2452

22032

Correct answer:

3548

Explanation:

Order of operations: "PEMDAS” or "Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally"

"Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication and Division, and Addition and Subtraction". 

(28 / 14) 3  + ( 144 – 12 )*17 + 362 =

(2) 3  + ( 132 )*17 + 362 =

8 + ( 132 )*17 + 1296 =

8 + 2244 + 1296 =

3548

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Common Factor Of Square Roots

Solve for \dpi{100} x:

x\sqrt{45}+x\sqrt{72}=\sqrt{18}

Possible Answers:

x=\frac{\sqrt{2}}{\sqrt{5}+2\sqrt{2}}

x=\frac{\sqrt{5}}{\sqrt{2}}+2

x=\sqrt{9}

x=\frac{\sqrt{2}}{\sqrt{5}}+\frac{1}{2}

x=3

Correct answer:

x=\frac{\sqrt{2}}{\sqrt{5}+2\sqrt{2}}

Explanation:

x\sqrt{45}+x\sqrt{72}=\sqrt{18}

Notice how all of the quantities in square roots are divisible by 9

x\sqrt{9\times 5}+x\sqrt{9\times 8}=\sqrt{9\times 2}

x\sqrt{9}\sqrt{5}+x\sqrt{9}\sqrt{4\times 2}=\sqrt{9}\sqrt{2}

3x\sqrt{5}+3x\sqrt{4}\sqrt{2}=3\sqrt{2}

3x\sqrt{5}+6x\sqrt{2}=3\sqrt{2}

x(3\sqrt{5}+6\sqrt{2})=3\sqrt{2}

x=\frac{3\sqrt{2}}{3\sqrt{5}+6\sqrt{2}}

Simplifying, this becomes

x=\frac{\sqrt{2}}{\sqrt{5}+2\sqrt{2}}

Example Question #1 : How To Find The Common Factor Of Square Roots

Solve for :

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Note that all of the square root terms share a common factor of 36, which itself is a square of 6:

 

Factoring  from both terms on the left side of the equation:

 

 

Example Question #72 : Arithmetic

Solve for :

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Note that both  and  have a common factor of  and  is a perfect square:

 

From here, we can factor  out of both terms on the lefthand side 

Example Question #72 : Arithmetic

Solve for :

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

In order to solve for , first note that all of the square root terms on the left side of the equation have a common factor of 9 and 9 is a perfect square:

 

Simplifying, this becomes:

Example Question #24 : Arithmetic

Which of the following is equivalent to:

?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

To begin with, factor out the contents of the radicals.  This will make answering much easier:

They both have a common factor .  This means that you could rewrite your equation like this:

This is the same as:

These have a common .  Therefore, factor that out:

Example Question #25 : Arithmetic

Simplify:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

These three roots all have a  in common; therefore, you can rewrite them:

Now, this could be rewritten:

Now, note that 

Therefore, you can simplify again:

Now, that looks messy! Still, if you look carefully, you see that all of your factors have ; therefore, factor that out:

This is the same as:

Example Question #6 : Basic Squaring / Square Roots

Solve for :

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Examining the terms underneath the radicals, we find that  and  have a common factor of  itself is a perfect square, being the product of  and . Hence, we recognize that the radicals can be re-written in the following manner:

, and .

The equation can then be expressed in terms of these factored radicals as shown:

 

  

Factoring the common term  from the lefthand side of this equation yields

Divide both sides by the expression in the parentheses:

Divide both sides by  to yield  by itself on the lefthand side:

Simplify the fraction on the righthand side by dividing the numerator and denominator by :

This is the solution for the unknown variable  that we have been required to find.

 

Example Question #1 : How To Multiply Square Roots

Simplify: 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

When multiplying square roots, you are allowed to multiply the numbers inside the square root. Then simplify if necessary.

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