Number

This topic has expert replies
Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts
Posts: 59
Joined: Thu May 05, 2016 4:20 am
Thanked: 3 times

Number

by Joy Shaha » Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:50 pm
Q. If a and b are positive integers and (2a)^b = 23, what is the value of 2^a2^b?
A) 6 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32 E) 64

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 16207
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Thanked: 5254 times
Followed by:1268 members
GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:54 pm
Joy Shaha wrote:Q. If a and b are positive integers and (2a)^b = 23, what is the value of 2^a2^b?
A) 6 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32 E) 64
Are you sure you've correctly transcribed this question?

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
Image

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 am
Location: Boston, MA
Thanked: 1153 times
Followed by:128 members
GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:57 pm
Joy Shaha wrote:Q. If a and b are positive integers and (2a)^b = 23, what is the value of 2^a2^b?
A) 6 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32 E) 64
I'm with Brent. If a and b are positive integers, we can't have (2a)^b = 23
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 am
Location: Boston, MA
Thanked: 1153 times
Followed by:128 members
GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Nov 18, 2016 12:59 pm
DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
Joy Shaha wrote:Q. If a and b are positive integers and (2a)^b = 23, what is the value of 2^a2^b?
A) 6 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32 E) 64
I'm with Brent. If a and b are positive integers, we can't have (2a)^b = 23
(Unless the 'a' is intended to represent the units digit of some number in the 20's. But that would have to be made explicit.)
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 16207
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Thanked: 5254 times
Followed by:1268 members
GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Nov 18, 2016 1:02 pm
DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
Joy Shaha wrote:Q. If a and b are positive integers and (2a)^b = 23, what is the value of 2^a2^b?
A) 6 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32 E) 64
I'm with Brent. If a and b are positive integers, we can't have (2a)^b = 23
I was thinking that perhaps Joy intended to write 32 instead of 23, but the answer choices don't work for that anyway.
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
Image

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 am
Location: Boston, MA
Thanked: 1153 times
Followed by:128 members
GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Nov 18, 2016 1:07 pm
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:
DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
Joy Shaha wrote:Q. If a and b are positive integers and (2a)^b = 23, what is the value of 2^a2^b?
A) 6 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32 E) 64
I'm with Brent. If a and b are positive integers, we can't have (2a)^b = 23
I was thinking that perhaps Joy intended to write 32 instead of 23, but the answer choices don't work for that anyway.
Perhaps it's (2^a)^b = 32 and we're looking for (2^a) * (2^b)?
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course

GMAT/MBA Expert

User avatar
GMAT Instructor
Posts: 16207
Joined: Mon Dec 08, 2008 6:26 pm
Location: Vancouver, BC
Thanked: 5254 times
Followed by:1268 members
GMAT Score:770

by Brent@GMATPrepNow » Fri Nov 18, 2016 1:13 pm
DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:
DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
Joy Shaha wrote:Q. If a and b are positive integers and (2a)^b = 23, what is the value of 2^a2^b?
A) 6 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32 E) 64
I'm with Brent. If a and b are positive integers, we can't have (2a)^b = 23
I was thinking that perhaps Joy intended to write 32 instead of 23, but the answer choices don't work for that anyway.
Perhaps it's (2^a)^b = 32 and we're looking for (2^a) * (2^b)?
That would make sense (at least it'd work with the answer choices)

Aside: this would make for an interesting question type: try to determine what the poster intended when he/she made an error when posting!
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
Image

User avatar
Legendary Member
Posts: 2663
Joined: Wed Jan 14, 2015 8:25 am
Location: Boston, MA
Thanked: 1153 times
Followed by:128 members
GMAT Score:770

by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Fri Nov 18, 2016 2:34 pm
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:
DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote:
DavidG@VeritasPrep wrote:
Joy Shaha wrote:Q. If a and b are positive integers and (2a)^b = 23, what is the value of 2^a2^b?
A) 6 B) 8 C) 16 D) 32 E) 64
I'm with Brent. If a and b are positive integers, we can't have (2a)^b = 23
I was thinking that perhaps Joy intended to write 32 instead of 23, but the answer choices don't work for that anyway.
Perhaps it's (2^a)^b = 32 and we're looking for (2^a) * (2^b)?
That would make sense (at least it'd work with the answer choices)

Aside: this would make for an interesting question type: try to determine what the poster intended when he/she made an error when posting!
GMAT-Rorschach? The Gschach?
Veritas Prep | GMAT Instructor

Veritas Prep Reviews
Save $100 off any live Veritas Prep GMAT Course