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Re: OG 13 #229
The fraction will equal zero when the numerator (x+2)(x+3) is zero, so when x = -2 or -3, for two values of x. The numerator (x+2)(x+3) is the product of two consecutive integers. If two consecutive integers are both nonzero, they have the same sign. So the numerator will always be positive when x i...
- by Ian Stewart
Sat Mar 19, 2022 3:28 am- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: OG 13 #229
- Replies: 9
- Views: 6007
A company will select 2 of the 6 candidates available to work in 2 different positions in
Problem Solving
Re: A company will select 2 of the 6 candidates available to work in 2 different positions in
The wording isn't clear enough, but if the two Tech positions are different (e.g. one is a Manager and the other an Engineer), then order matters, and we'll have 6 choices for the first position, 5 for the second, and 6*5 = 30 choices in total. If the HR positions are the same, order doesn't matter,...
- by Ian Stewart
Sat Mar 19, 2022 3:13 am- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: A company will select 2 of the 6 candidates available to work in 2 different positions in
- Replies: 1
- Views: 212
Re: Rank the following quantities in order, from smallest to biggest.
2 √2 = 2 * 2^(1/2) = 2^(3/2), so we can rewrite item II: (2 √2)^35 = (2^3/2)^35 = 2^105/2 and since 105/2 < 60, this is less than 2^60. To compare 2^60 and 3^42, we can notice that 2^60 = (2^3)^20 = 8^20, and 3^42 = (3^2)^21 = 9^21, and since 8^20 has both a smaller base and smaller exponent than 9^...
- by Ian Stewart
Fri Feb 11, 2022 2:59 pm- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: Rank the following quantities in order, from smallest to biggest.
- Replies: 1
- Views: 223
A shopkeeper offers two successive discounts of \(20\%\) each on a sweater and still makes a profit of \(60\%.\) By what
Problem Solving
Re: A shopkeeper offers two successive discounts of \(20\%\) each on a sweater and still makes a profit of \(60\%.\) By
When a price is reduced by 20%, it becomes 80%, or 0.8, of its original value. So if a price is discounted by 20% twice, it becomes (0.8)(0.8) = 0.64 of its original value. So if the pre-discount price of the sweater was $100, the post-discount price was $64. If the retailer still makes a 60% profit...
- by Ian Stewart
Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:07 am- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: A shopkeeper offers two successive discounts of \(20\%\) each on a sweater and still makes a profit of \(60\%.\) By what
- Replies: 1
- Views: 159
During a clearance sale, a retailer discounted the original price of its TVs by \(25\%\) for the first two weeks of the
Problem Solving
Re: During a clearance sale, a retailer discounted the original price of its TVs by \(25\%\) for the first two weeks of
You can just imagine a TV costs $100. After the initial 25% discount, the TV costs $75, and if this new price is discounted by 20%, or by $15, the final price is $60, which is 60% of the original price.
- by Ian Stewart
Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:03 am- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: During a clearance sale, a retailer discounted the original price of its TVs by \(25\%\) for the first two weeks of the
- Replies: 1
- Views: 151
Re: What is the value of \(5+4\cdot 5+4\cdot 5^2+4\cdot 5^3+4\cdot 5^4+4\cdot 5^5?\)
You can also replace "4" with "5 - 1", so the expression becomesGmat_mission wrote: ↑Sun Nov 28, 2021 6:51 amWhat is the value of \(5+4\cdot 5+4\cdot 5^2+4\cdot 5^3+4\cdot 5^4+4\cdot 5^5?\)
5 + (5-1)*5 + (5-1)*5^2 + (5-1)*5^3 + (5-1)*5^4 + (5-1)*5^5
= 5 - 5 + 5^2 - 5^2 + 5^3 - 5^3 + 5^4 - 5^4 + 5^5 - 5^5 + 5^6
= 5^6
- by Ian Stewart
Wed Dec 01, 2021 5:00 am- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: What is the value of \(5+4\cdot 5+4\cdot 5^2+4\cdot 5^3+4\cdot 5^4+4\cdot 5^5?\)
- Replies: 2
- Views: 215
Re: How many even divisors of 1600 are not multiples of 16?
We can prime factorize: 1600 = 16*100 = (2^4)(2^2)(5^2) = 2^6 * 5^2 Any divisor of 1600 thus has to look like (2^a)(5^b), where a is between 0 and 6 inclusive, and b is between 0 and 2 inclusive. If our divisor must be even, we must have at least one '2', so a must be at least 1. If our divisor is n...
- by Ian Stewart
Mon Jun 14, 2021 4:09 am- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: How many even divisors of 1600 are not multiples of 16?
- Replies: 1
- Views: 185
A three-digit positive integer is chosen at random. What is the probability that the product of its digits is even?
Problem Solving
Re: A three-digit positive integer is chosen at random. What is the probability that the product of its digits is even?
The product of the digits will only be odd if all three digits are odd. If we want all of our digits to be odd, we'd have 5 choices for each digit, so there will be 5^3 = 125 such three-digit numbers. For the remaining 900 - 125 = 775 three-digit numbers, the product of the digits will be even. So i...
- by Ian Stewart
Sun Jun 13, 2021 2:03 pm- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: A three-digit positive integer is chosen at random. What is the probability that the product of its digits is even?
- Replies: 1
- Views: 169
Artificial intelligence computer HAL \(9000\) randomly picks three distinct integers from between \(1\) and \(9000\)
Problem Solving
Re: Artificial intelligence computer HAL \(9000\) randomly picks three distinct integers from between \(1\) and \(9000\)
If you pick any three different numbers, there will be 3! = 6 different orders you can put them in. So if you pick three different numbers one at a time, the probability they will specifically be in decreasing order, one of the six possible orders, is 1/6.
- by Ian Stewart
Sat Jun 12, 2021 4:26 pm- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: Artificial intelligence computer HAL \(9000\) randomly picks three distinct integers from between \(1\) and \(9000\)
- Replies: 1
- Views: 173
Re: How many distinct prime divisors does a positive integer \(n\) have?
If n is a positive integer, 2n is clearly divisible by 2. If, as Statement 1 says, 2n has only one prime divisor, that prime divisor must be 2. But then n can be 1, 2, 2^2, 2^3 or any other power of 2. Since it is possible n = 1, it is possible n has no prime divisors, and if n is any other power of...
- by Ian Stewart
Sat Jun 12, 2021 3:59 pm- Forum: Data Sufficiency
- Topic: How many distinct prime divisors does a positive integer \(n\) have?
- Replies: 1
- Views: 180
A group of 7 students took a test. In the test, one student scored 100% and 2 students scored 0%. If the median score of
Data Sufficiency
Re: A group of 7 students took a test. In the test, one student scored 100% and 2 students scored 0%. If the median scor
Since we have an odd number of scores, the median must be one of the test scores. So we know two of the scores are zero, one is 20, and one is 100. We don't know three of the scores. Writing all seven scores, using unknowns, in increasing order (some of the middle scores might equal each other) we h...
- by Ian Stewart
Sat Jun 12, 2021 3:55 pm- Forum: Data Sufficiency
- Topic: A group of 7 students took a test. In the test, one student scored 100% and 2 students scored 0%. If the median score of
- Replies: 1
- Views: 189
If \(N\) is the product of all integers from \(1\) to \(100,\) both inclusive, then what is the remainder when
Problem Solving
Re: If \(N\) is the product of all integers from \(1\) to \(100,\) both inclusive, then what is the remainder when
Between 1 and 100, there are 14 multiples of 7 (since 7*14 = 98), so 100! is divisible by at least 7^14. But two of those multiples of 7, namely 49 and 98, are multiples of 7^2, so they give us one extra 7, and 100! is actually divisible by 7^16. So 100! is a multiple of 7^16, and 100! + 100 is thus...
- by Ian Stewart
Sat Jun 12, 2021 3:43 pm- Forum: Problem Solving
- Topic: If \(N\) is the product of all integers from \(1\) to \(100,\) both inclusive, then what is the remainder when
- Replies: 1
- Views: 167
If quadrilateral ABCD, pictured above, has perimeter of 64, what is the length of the line segment AD?
Data Sufficiency
Re: If quadrilateral ABCD, pictured above, has perimeter of 64, what is the length of the line segment AD?
I've never needed to know, in more than ten years of answering official GMAT Quant questions, that when a rectangle's diagonals are perpendicular, that rectangle is a square. But that's what this question is testing. If you know that, Statement 2 is clearly sufficient alone, and Statement 1 is not (...
- by Ian Stewart
Thu Jun 10, 2021 5:04 am- Forum: Data Sufficiency
- Topic: If quadrilateral ABCD, pictured above, has perimeter of 64, what is the length of the line segment AD?
- Replies: 1
- Views: 173
A certain customer at a health food store purchases organic bananas at a price of $0.7 each, and conventional bananas at
Data Sufficiency
Re: A certain customer at a health food store purchases organic bananas at a price of $0.7 each, and conventional banana
If the person bought x organic and y conventional bananas, he spent 70x + 60y cents. From Statement 1, we know 70x + 60y = 560, so 7x + 6y = 56. Here 7x and 56 are both divisible by 7, so 6y must be too (if it's not clear why, we can rewrite the equation 6y = 56 - 7x, and now since the right side is...
- by Ian Stewart
Thu Jun 10, 2021 5:00 am- Forum: Data Sufficiency
- Topic: A certain customer at a health food store purchases organic bananas at a price of $0.7 each, and conventional bananas at
- Replies: 1
- Views: 178
Re: Word Problems
Ralph is giving out Valentine's Day cards to his friends. Each friend gets the same number of cards and no cards were leftover. If each friend gets at least one card, was the number of cards received by each friend more than one? 1) Ralph has 40 Valentine's Day cards to give out 2) If the number of...
- by Ian Stewart
Thu Jun 10, 2021 4:56 am- Forum: Data Sufficiency
- Topic: Word Problems
- Replies: 1
- Views: 210