number of cans

[vishalwin]

What is the number of cans that can be packed in a certain carton?

(1) The interior volume of this carton is 2,100 cubic inches.
(2) The exterior of each can is 5 inches high and has a diameter of 3 inches.


In this question we need to need the dimensions of box part from the dimensions of can to determine the number of cans. Am I right?

[Brent@GMATPrepNow]

What is the number of cans that can be packed in a certain carton?

(1) The interior volume of this carton is 2,100 cubic inches.
(2) The exterior of each can is 5 inches high and has a diameter of 3 inches.


In this question we need to need the dimensions of box part from the dimensions of can to determine the number of cans. Am I right?

Hi vishalwin,

You are correct.
Let's go straight to....

Target question: What is the number of cans that can be packed in a certain carton?

Statements 1 and 2 combined
Consider these two conflicting cases (that satisfy both statements):
Case a: the dimensions of the box are numbers are 1 x 10 x 210 (inches), in which case ZERO cans can fit inside the carton
Case b: the dimensions of the box are numbers are 10 x 10 x 21 (inches), in which case MORE THAN ZERO cans can fit inside the carton

Since we cannot answer the target question with certainty, the combined statements are NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer = E

Cheers,
Brent

[Matt@VeritasPrep]

The upshot of the question, as I see it, is that the carton can look as strange as you want it to, since you aren't told anything about it's dimensions. So it could be a 1x1x2100 carton that no carrier would ever deliver, and none of the cans could find!

Trying extreme (= valid, though silly) values in DS is a great method, in my experience: it leads you to insufficiency pretty quickly where insufficiency exists.