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Circle

Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
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by chacha0212 » Thu Dec 04, 2014 4:58 pm
Circle C and line k lie in the xy plane. If Circle C is centered at the origin and has radius 1, does link k intersect circle C?
1) X-intercept of line k is greater than 1
2) The slope of line k is -1/10
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Source: — Quantitative Reasoning |

by MartyMurray » Thu Dec 04, 2014 5:06 pm
Statement 1 tells us that the line crosses the x axis to the right of the circle, or outside the circle. Depending on the slope of the line and the intercept of the line, the line may or may not intersect the circle. If the x intercept is close enough to 1 and the absolute value of the slope is low enough, the line will pass intersect the circle. If the x intercept is higher and the slope's absolute value is high enough, the line will not intersect the circle.

Insufficient

Statement 2 tells us that the line has a slope of - 1/10. Without knowing any points on the line, we do not know where it is placed and so we still don't know whether or not it intersects the circle.

Insufficient

Together we know that the x intercept is greater than 1 and we know the slope. Still, depending on how much greater the x intercept is, the line could still either intersect the circle or not intersect the circle.

So together the statements are insufficient.

Choose E.
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