which of 10^-3 and 10^-2 is nearer to number N ?
A. N is nearer to 10^-4 than 10^-1
B. N is nearer to 10^-3 than 10^-1
OA E
I got the answer by plotting on number line, but is there any other more effective way to do this question?
Which is nearer to N
This topic has expert replies
GMAT/MBA Expert
- [email protected]
- Elite Legendary Member
- Posts: 10392
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm
- Location: Palo Alto, CA
- Thanked: 2867 times
- Followed by:511 members
- GMAT Score:800
Hi veenu08,
Using a number line to plot the possibilities is actually a really smart way to do things. It adds a "visual component" to the work which many people find useful for Quant questions (and even on some Verbal questions). Keep looking to use this tactic whenever appropriate.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Using a number line to plot the possibilities is actually a really smart way to do things. It adds a "visual component" to the work which many people find useful for Quant questions (and even on some Verbal questions). Keep looking to use this tactic whenever appropriate.
GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
-
- GMAT Instructor
- Posts: 2630
- Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2012 3:32 pm
- Location: East Bay all the way
- Thanked: 625 times
- Followed by:119 members
- GMAT Score:780
Hi Veenu!
I don't think this approach would make this particular question any easier, but one way you can algebraically represent "N is nearer to 1/10,000 than it is to 1/10" is
|N - 1/10,000| < |N - 1/10|
In this equation, |N - 1/10,000| is the distance between N and 1/10,000 and |N - 1/10| is the distance between N and 1/10. Since "nearer to" means "lesser distance", the inequality points to |N - 1/10,000|.
Also, this question is poorly worded: it's not clear whether "N is nearer to 1/10,000 than it is to 1/10" or "N is nearer to 1/10,000 than 1/10 is to 1/10,000" (though the first statement seems likelier to be what the author intended, the second one, frustrating as it is, is quite possible). On the GMAT, however, you wouldn't encounter this kind of ambiguity.
I don't think this approach would make this particular question any easier, but one way you can algebraically represent "N is nearer to 1/10,000 than it is to 1/10" is
|N - 1/10,000| < |N - 1/10|
In this equation, |N - 1/10,000| is the distance between N and 1/10,000 and |N - 1/10| is the distance between N and 1/10. Since "nearer to" means "lesser distance", the inequality points to |N - 1/10,000|.
Also, this question is poorly worded: it's not clear whether "N is nearer to 1/10,000 than it is to 1/10" or "N is nearer to 1/10,000 than 1/10 is to 1/10,000" (though the first statement seems likelier to be what the author intended, the second one, frustrating as it is, is quite possible). On the GMAT, however, you wouldn't encounter this kind of ambiguity.