Inequalities 2

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theachiever: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 116; Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:44 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 5 times

by theachiever » Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:46 am

Is X<Y?

1.1/x<1/y
2.x/<0

Resilience is a trait that manifests in an individual when he/she faces consistent failures motivating them to succeed in the end.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Data Sufficiency | Mon Dec 10, 2012 12:46 am

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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

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Mon Dec 10, 2012 7:05 am

theachiever wrote:Is X<Y?

1.1/x<1/y
2.x/<0

I think you're missing part of the question here.

Cheers,
Brent

Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com

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ceilidh.erickson: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2095; Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members; Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:55 am

Brent is right; part of the question must be missing.

In the meantime, though, we can analyze whether statement (1) is sufficient. The question is asking whether x is less than y.

(1) 1/x < 1/y (just a note - using parentheses around the statement number helps to show that it's separate from the equation. As you wrote it, it looks a bit like 1.1)

Can we cross-multiply, and say that y < x ? No, not without knowing whether x and y are positive or negative. Keep it as-is. The reciprocal of x is less than the reciprocal of y. Let's think about various possibilities for x and y, to see what this tells us about our question. If x and y are both positive integers (e.g. 3 and 2), then if 1/x < 1/y, x will be greater than y (3 > 2), so we get a "no" answer to the question. If x is negative and y is positive, though, then the statement will be true (1/neg < 1/pos), and x will always be less than y, so we get a "yes" answer to the question.

We need more information about whether x and y are positive or negative, and whether they're integers or fractions. INSUFFICIENT

Now we just need to see statement 2 to answer the question...

Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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ceilidh.erickson: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 2095; Joined: Tue Dec 04, 2012 3:22 pmFollowed by: 247 members; Thanked: 1443 times

by ceilidh.erickson » Tue Dec 11, 2012 7:58 am

Also, theachiever, a grammar note for you: In your signature you write

Resilience is a trait that manifests in an individual when he/she faces consistent failures motivating them to succeed in the end.

You correctly use the singular pronoun "he/she" for individual, but then switch to the incorrect plural "them." Pronouns have to stay consistent!

Ceilidh Erickson
EdM in Mind, Brain, and Education
Harvard Graduate School of Education

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theachiever: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 116; Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:44 pmFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 5 times

by theachiever » Tue Dec 11, 2012 8:43 am

ceilidh.erickson wrote:Also, theachiever, a grammar note for you: In your signature you write
Resilience is a trait that manifests in an individual when he/she faces consistent failures motivating them to succeed in the end.
You correctly use the singular pronoun "he/she" for individual, but then switch to the incorrect plural "them." Pronouns have to stay consistent!

Thanks for the correction eric......

really very nice of you........ no wonder you got a 760...

Resilience is a trait that manifests in an individual when he/she faces consistent failures motivating them to succeed in the end.

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