If abc = b^3 , which of the following must be true?

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BTGModeratorVI: Legendary Member; Posts: 1223; Joined: Sat Feb 15, 2020 2:23 pmFollowed by: 1 member

by BTGModeratorVI » Mon Jun 22, 2020 6:12 am

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If abc = b^3 , which of the following must be true?

I. ac = b^2
II. b = 0
III. ac = 1

A. None
B. I only
C. II only
D. I and III
E. II and III

Answer: A
Source: Kaplan

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Brent@GMATPrepNow: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 16207; Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pmFollowed by: 1268 members; Location: Vancouver, BC; Thanked: 5254 times; GMAT Score:770

Re: If abc = b^3 , which of the following must be true?

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Tue Jun 23, 2020 2:43 pm

BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑
Mon Jun 22, 2020 6:12 am
If abc = b^3 , which of the following must be true?

I. ac = b^2
II. b = 0
III. ac = 1

A. None
B. I only
C. II only
D. I and III
E. II and III

Answer: A
Source: Kaplan

Let's answer this question by Process Of Elimination.

I. ac = b²
Must this be true? No.
Consider the case where a = 1, b = 0 and c = 1
This set of values satisfies the given equation (abc = b³),
HOWEVER it is not the case that ac = b²
Plug in the values to get (1)(1) = 0² - NOT TRUE

II. b = 0
Must this be true? No.
Consider the case where a = 1, b = 1 and c = 1
This set of values satisfies the given equation (abc = b³),
HOWEVER it is not the case that b = 0

NOTE: At this point, we need not examine statement III, because none of the answer choices state that only statement III must be true.

However, let's examine statement III for "fun"

III. ac = 1
Must this be true? No.
Consider the case where a = 0, b = 0 and c = 0
This set of values satisfies the given equation (abc = b³),
HOWEVER it is not the case that ac = 1

Answer: A

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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Re: If abc = b^3 , which of the following must be true?

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Sat Jun 27, 2020 5:22 am

BTGModeratorVI wrote: ↑
Mon Jun 22, 2020 6:12 am
If abc = b^3 , which of the following must be true?

I. ac = b^2
II. b = 0
III. ac = 1

A. None
B. I only
C. II only
D. I and III
E. II and III

Answer: A

Solution:

abc = b^3

abc - b^3 = 0

b(ac - b^2) = 0

(b = 0) or (ac - b^2 = 0 → ac = b^2)

Since it’s either b = 0 or ac = b^2, so neither one is a must true statement. Also, nowhere we can conclude that ac = 1. So none of the statements is a must true.

Answer: A

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]

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