Coordinate Geometry

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What is the area of the triangle formed by lines y=5−x , 2y=3x , and y=0 ?



7.5


8.0


9.0


10.5


15.

[Mathsbuddy]

The lines y = 5 - x and y = 3x/2 intersect when 5 - x = 3x/2, i.e. at point (2, 3)

The line y = 5 - x intersects y = 0 when 5 - x = 0 (because y = 0)

If we take the base of the triangle to be along the x-axis, its width is 5
and the perpendicular height is 3

Area = width x height /2 = 5 x 3 /2 = 7.5

ANSWER A

[GMATinsight]

Please check the explanation with Diagram

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Hi shibsriz,

Since there's already a picture provided, I won't rehash that here. While "graphing" is not a frequent question-type (it's a subset of Geometry and usually shows up just once or twice on Test Day), the subject matter is based on a standard set of "math rules." For most graphing questions, I tend to draw the picture so that I can "see" what I'm dealing with. It doesn't take that much work, but makes answering the given question considerably easier. If you find yourself getting "stuck" on certain questions, think about what you CAN do, then try it. You'd be amazed how a bit of "playing around" with a question can quickly lead to a solution.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich