SAT Math : Equations / Inequalities

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for SAT Math

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Example Questions

Example Question #36 : Quadratic Equations

Consider the equation

.

Which of the following statements correctly describes its solution set?

Possible Answers:

Exactly two solutions, both of which are rational.

Exactly one solution, which is irrational.

Exactly two solutions, both of which are irrational.

Exactly two solutions, both of which are imaginary.

Exactly one solution, which is rational.

Correct answer:

Exactly two solutions, both of which are imaginary.

Explanation:

Write the quadratic equation in standard form  by subtracting  from both sides:

The nature of the solution set of a quadratic equation in standard form can be determined by examining the discriminant . Setting :

The discriminant is negative, so there are two imaginary solutions. 

Example Question #27 : How To Find The Solution To A Quadratic Equation

Consider the equation

.

Which of the following statements correctly describes its solution set?

Possible Answers:

Exactly one solution, which is rational.

Exactly two solutions, both of which are imaginary.

Exactly two solutions, both of which are irrational.

Exactly one solution, which is irrational.

Exactly two solutions, both of which are rational.

Correct answer:

Exactly two solutions, both of which are irrational.

Explanation:

Write the quadratic equation in standard form  by subtracting 12 from both sides:

The nature of the solution set of a quadratic equation in standard form can be determined by examining the discriminant . Setting :

The discriminant is positive, so there are two real solutions. However, 145 is not a perfect square; the two solutions are therefore irrational.

Example Question #341 : Equations / Inequalities

Consider the equation:

 __________

Fill in the blank with a real constant to form an equation with exactly one real solution.

Possible Answers:

None of the other responses gives a correct answer.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We will call the constant  that goes in the blank . The equation becomes

Write the quadratic equation in standard form  by subtracting  from both sides:

The solution set comprises exactly one rational solution if and only if the discriminant  is equal to 0. Setting . and substituting in the equation:

Solving for :

,

the correct response.

Example Question #342 : Equations / Inequalities

Consider the equation:

__________ 

Fill in the blank with a real constant to form an equation with exactly one real solution.

Possible Answers:

None of the other responses gives a correct answer.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We will call the constant  that goes in the blank . The equation becomes 

Write the quadratic equation in standard form  by subtracting  from both sides:

The solution set comprises exactly one rational solution if and only if the discriminant  is equal to 0. Setting . and substituting in the equation:

Solving for :

,

the correct response.

Example Question #341 : Algebra

Consider the equation:

 _________ 

Fill in the blank with a real constant to form an equation with exactly one real solution.

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

We will call the constant  that goes in the blank . The equation becomes 

Write the quadratic equation in standard form  by subtracting  from both sides:

The solution set comprises exactly one rational solution if and only if the discriminant  is equal to 0. Setting . and substituting in the equation:

Solving for :

,

that is, either  or .

 is not a choice, but 24 is; this is the correct response.

 

Example Question #341 : Algebra

Evaluate .

Possible Answers:

The system has no solution.

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Multiply both sides of the top equation by 7:

Multiply both sides of the bottom equation by :

 

Add both sides of the equations to eliminate the  terms:

                 

Solve for :

 

Example Question #41 : Quadratic Equations

Find the solutions of the equation .

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

This is a quadratic equation because the leading term is of degree ; hence, its solutions can be easily calculated via the quadratic formula:

In order to use the quadratic formula to solve a quadratic equation, you must identify the values of the coefficients , and , substitute them into the quadratic formula, and perform the arithmetical calculations to yield one, two, or no real number solutions for .

In this case, , and . Hence, the quadratic formula yields

Hence, this equation has two real solutions:  and .

Example Question #2 : How To Factor The Quadratic Equation

What is the sum of all the values of  that satisfy:

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

With quadratic equations, always begin by getting it into standard form:

Therefore, take our equation:

And rewrite it as:

You could use the quadratic formula to solve this problem.  However, it is possible to factor this if you are careful.  Factored, the equation can be rewritten as:

Now, either one of the groups on the left could be  and the whole equation would be .  Therefore, you set up each as a separate equation and solve for :

OR

The sum of these values is:

Example Question #341 : Equations / Inequalities

Tommy throws a rock off a 10 meter ledge at a speed of 3 meters/second. Calculate when the rock hits the ground.

To solve use the equation 

where

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Tommy throws a rock off a 10 meter ledge at a speed of 3 meters/second. To calculate when the rock hits the ground first identify what is known.

Using the equation 

where

it is known that,

Substituting the given values into the position  equation looks as follows.

Now to calculate when the rock hits the ground, find the  value that results in .

Use graphing technology to graph .

Screen shot 2016 02 11 at 8.18.52 am

It appears that the rock hits the ground approximately 1.75 seconds after Tommy throws it.

Example Question #231 : New Sat

Find the solutions for 

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

The first step is to set it equal to zero.

Now we will use the quadratic formula.

In this case 

 

 

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