Inequality

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Inequality

by dtweah » Mon May 18, 2009 9:15 am
Suppose A, B, C, D are positive integers such that exactly one of the following inequalities is false. Which inequality is False?

A. A<B

B. C< D

C. A+ C < B+C

D. A+C< B+ D

E. A< B+C+D
Source: — Problem Solving |

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Re: Inequality

by maihuna » Mon May 18, 2009 11:13 am
dtweah wrote:Suppose A, B, C, D are positive integers such that exactly one of the following inequalities is false. Which inequality is False?

A. A<B

B. C< D

C. A+ C < B+C

D. A+C< B+ D

E. A< B+C+D
r u missing something here?
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Re: Inequality

by dtweah » Mon May 18, 2009 11:45 am
maihuna wrote:
dtweah wrote:Suppose A, B, C, D are positive integers such that exactly one of the following inequalities is false. Which inequality is False?

A. A<B

B. C< D

C. A+ C < B+C

D. A+C< B+ D

E. A< B+C+D
Nothing.

r u missing something here?

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by avenus » Wed May 20, 2009 2:12 am
A and C are the same, so discarded. Since we're dealing with positive numbers, A implies E, so E discarded.
Now, we're left with B and D. If B is true, D must also be true, and thus all inequalities would be true, contradicting the requirement ==> B is false.

Answer is B

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by lunarpower » Wed May 20, 2009 3:18 am
the above solution is valid, yes.

this is an extremely clever problem; in fact, i like it quite a bit. however, i'm afraid it's not at all like anything i've ever seen in an official problem.
not at all like anything.

this is more like the sort of thing that would show up on a junior-high or high school Math Olympiad for gifted kids. if there's a standardized-test connection, i'd say that this problem bears some resemblance to the "logic games" problems that show up on the LSAT, except it's been hammered into the shape of a math problem.

in any case, it's far too formal-logic-heavy and "proof"-like to be a legitimate candidate for a gmat problem.
where'd you get it?
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

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Re: Inequality

by Vemuri » Wed May 20, 2009 3:53 am
How are we to determine which inequality is false without knowing anything about the integers? I hope I don't see such a question on the D day

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Re: Inequality

by lunarpower » Wed May 20, 2009 4:24 am
Vemuri wrote:I hope I don't see such a question on the D day
you won't. see my post above.

this is just not the style of the questions that show up on the test.
Ron has been teaching various standardized tests for 20 years.

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