GMAT Prep
Which of the following lists a number of points at which a circle intersects a triangle?
A. 2 and 6 only
B. 2, 4 and 6 only
C. 1, 2, 3 and 6 only
D. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 only
E. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 only
OA E
Which of the following lists a number of points at which a
This topic has expert replies
GMAT/MBA Expert
- Brent@GMATPrepNow
- 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
AAPL wrote:GMAT Prep
Which of the following lists a number of points at which a circle intersects a triangle?
A. 2 and 6 only
B. 2, 4 and 6 only
C. 1, 2, 3 and 6 only
D. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 6 only
E. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 only
OA E
Answer: E
The important takeaway here is that "intersect" does not necessarily mean "pass through"
So, a line that is tangent to a circle (touching the circle but not passing through it) can be said to intersect the circle. To intersect is to share a common point.
ALTERNATIVELY, if we can show that it's possible to have 5 points of intersection, then we can ELIMINATE answer choices A, B, C, and D, leaving us with answer choice E
Cheers,
Brent
- fskilnik@GMATH
- GMAT Instructor
- Posts: 1449
- Joined: Sat Oct 09, 2010 2:16 pm
- Thanked: 59 times
- Followed by:33 members
In the post above, Brent offers an explicit construction (i.e., a constructible figure) in which "5 points of intersection" is PROVED possible.Brent@GMATPrepNow wrote: if we can show that it's possible to have 5 points of intersection, then we can ELIMINATE answer choices A, B, C, and D, leaving us with answer choice E
Once this explicit construction was done, we believe the argument above is not only rigorous, but faster. In other words, the best approach.
Regards,
Fabio.
Fabio Skilnik :: GMATH method creator ( Math for the GMAT)
English-speakers :: https://www.gmath.net
Portuguese-speakers :: https://www.gmath.com.br
English-speakers :: https://www.gmath.net
Portuguese-speakers :: https://www.gmath.com.br