Rastis wrote:pemdas,
Your explanation went way over my head. Is there a different way of explaining it? I'm probably more confused now than I was before.
let me clear the things here
(also I'd withhold from considering the answer choices as messy numbers, because we have clearly observable patterns amongst the given choices)
let's take reciprocals of all answer choices
We have now the following situation
A. 1876452/1876455
B. 1883446/1883449
C. 1883453/1883456
D. 1883456/1883459
E. 1883491/1883494
let's keep the same question for now
Which of the following numbers is the greatest?
I am inviting you to use
rule 1
Rule 1: whenever you compare large numbers in a numerator and a denominator, if the numerator is less than the denominator this number will be tending to the value of 1/2. The larger the numbers in the numerator and the denominator the closer the number to the value of 1/2.
Why we are using rule 1? Because the numerator is less than denominator here. By quickly skiming over all answer choices, you could see that the largest numbers in the numerator and the denominator are contained in the answer choice
E. 1883491/1883494. Hence this ratio is the greatest.
If your new question would be:
Which of the following numbers is the lowest?
You would have to select choice
A. 1876452/1876455
OK, now let's return to the original question format with not reciprocated answer choices and use our rules once again
Which of the following numbers is the greatest?
A. 1876455/1876452
B. 1883449/1883446
C. 1883456/1883453
D. 1883459/1883456
E. 1883494/1883491
What's going on here?
We have all numerators set greater than their respective denominators (there's a strong pattern, and these numbers are not messy)
Use
rule 2
Rule 2: whenever you compare large numbers in a numerator and a denominator, if the numerator is greater than the denominator this number will be extended from the value of 1/2. The less the numbers in the numerator and the denominator the farther the number from the value of 1/2.
The least numbers in the numerator and denominator we have in choice
A. 1876455/1876452
do you understand now?
>>>I am also attaching Excel worksheet to assure all those who would like to test my numbers.
>>> before I went and posted
2 rules which I derived last December, I tested this method about hundred times (!) on different days with various numbers. I hope some one will make use of this in exam, as I have included this in my own notes.