If (x/|y|) =-1

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If (x/|y|) =-1

by NandishSS » Mon Aug 22, 2016 6:34 am
If (X/|Y|) =-1 which of the following must be true?

A)X=-Y
B)X=Y
C)X=Y^2
D)X^2=Y^2
E)X^3=Y^3

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OA:D

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by [email protected] » Mon Aug 22, 2016 10:41 am
Hi NandishSS,

This question can be solved by TESTing VALUES (although you'll have to TEST more than one pair of values for X and Y to get to the correct answer).

We're told that X/|Y| = -1. We're asked which of the following MUST be true (which really means "which of the following is ALWAYS true no matter how many different examples we can come up with?")

Let's start with....
X = -2, Y = 2

This eliminates Answers B, C and E.

Next, notice that the absolute value around the Y... It will turn negative numbers into positive numbers.

If we try....
X = -2, Y = -2

Then this eliminates Answer A.

Final Answer: D

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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Mon Aug 22, 2016 3:54 pm
NandishSS wrote:If (X/|Y|) =-1 which of the following must be true?

A)X=-Y
B)X=Y
C)X=Y^2
D)X^2=Y^2
E)X^3=Y^3

Source-GMATPrep EP-2

OA:D
You could also do this one algebraically: (X/|Y|) =-1 If we multiply both sides by |Y| we get X = -1 * |Y|. If we square both sides we'll have
X^2 = (-1)^2 * |Y|^2. Well, (-1)^2 is just 1. And |Y|^2 must equal Y^2, so X^2 = (-1)^2 * |Y|^2 becomes X^2 = Y^2. Answer is D
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