Does (x + a)^2 = y^2?

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Does (x + a)^2 = y^2?

by M7MBA » Sun Nov 19, 2017 8:26 am
Does (x + a)^2 = y^2?

(1) x = y - a

(2) x = y + a

The OA is A .

Experts, what happen if a=0? Then both statements are suffcient. So, how should I think on this DS question?

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by DavidG@VeritasPrep » Sun Nov 19, 2017 9:48 am
M7MBA wrote:Does (x + a)^2 = y^2?

(1) x = y - a

(2) x = y + a

The OA is A .

Experts, what happen if a=0? Then both statements are suffcient. So, how should I think on this DS question?
Statement 1: x = y - a
Add 'a' to both sides to get x + a = y
Square both sides to get (x + a)^2 = y^2. So the answer is a definitive yes, S1 alone is sufficient.

Statement 2: Case 1: x = 1, y = 1, and a = 0. (1+0)^2 = 1^2, we have a YES to the initial question.
Case 2: x = 2, y = 1, and a = 1. (2 +1)^2 is not equal to 1^2, so we have a NO to the initial question.
S2 alone is not sufficient.
The answer is A

(Notice that when a = 0, we're merely generating a YES to the initial question. Because a can assume other values that will generate a NO in statement 2, this statement is not sufficient.)
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