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Equation of a line

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Source: — Data Sufficiency |

by liferocks » Wed May 19, 2010 9:30 am
if point (r,s) is on y=3x+2 ..3r+2-s=0

From 1
either ( 3r+2-s)=0 or (4r+9-s)=0...not sufficient

From 2
either ( 3r+2-s)=0 or (4r-6-s)=0...not sufficient

combining
( 3r+2-s)=0....sufficient

Ans option C
"If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there."
Lewis Carroll
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by indiantiger » Wed May 19, 2010 9:33 am
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by Patrick_GMATFix » Fri May 21, 2010 10:44 am
the Q tests your understanding that point (r,s) can belong to the line only if its coordinates fit the equation of the line. In other words we can rephrase this from "is (r,s) on line y=3x+2?" to "Is s=3r+2?"

This Q tests your understanding that the solution of a factored equation that is set to 0 is whatever values will make each factor 0. For instance, statemetn (1) tells us that (3r+2-s)(4r+9-s) = 0. This means that
a. 3r+2-s = 0 --> s=3r+2, or
b. 4r+9-s=0 --> s=4r+9

Since we don't know which is correct, we cannot answer the rephrase. Statement (2) will work the same way. Only when you merge the statements can you definitively know that s=3r+2. The correct answer is C

You can see a video of this solution for a step by step demo; this is QID 1088

-Patrick
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