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if A = P^Q what is the value of A if

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if A = P^Q what is the value of A if

by M7MBA » Fri Apr 20, 2018 2:16 am

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if A = P^Q what is the value of A if P = -1

(A) -1
(B) 1
(C) 0
(D) 2
(E) cannot be determined

The OA is the option E.

Is not -1 the value of A? Why not? Can someone clarify this for me? Thanks.
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by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Apr 20, 2018 5:33 am
M7MBA wrote:if A = P^Q what is the value of A if P = -1

(A) -1
(B) 1
(C) 0
(D) 2
(E) cannot be determined
Given: A = P^Q
Given: P = -1

Take A = P^Q and replace P with -1 to get: A = (-1 )^Q
So, the value of A depends on the value of Q.
Let's test some different values of Q.

If Q = 1, then A = (-1 )^1 = -1
If Q = 2, then A = (-1 )^2 = (-1)(-1) = 1
Since we can have two different values for A, the correct answer is E

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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by Jeff@TargetTestPrep » Mon Apr 23, 2018 4:49 pm
M7MBA wrote:if A = P^Q what is the value of A if P = -1

(A) -1
(B) 1
(C) 0
(D) 2
(E) cannot be determined
If P = -1, we have:

A = (-1)^Q

However, we cannot determine A.

If Q = 1, then A = -1; however, if Q = 2, then A = 1.

Answer: E

Jeffrey Miller
Head of GMAT Instruction
[email protected]

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