This blog is the disorganized ramblings of College-Prep Tutor Phillip McCaffrey, who loves to help high school students beat the SAT, ACT and any other test for that matter [because tests don't REALLY matter in the long run]. philmccaffrey@gmail.com
Showing posts with label SAT Math. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SAT Math. Show all posts
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Venn Diagram
SAT Venn Diagram, systems of equations
Problem:
In a survey of 200 pet owners, each person has a dog or a cat or both. If there are 180 dog owners and 160 cat owners. How many of the cat owners have no dogs?
Labels:
college board,
SAT College Prep,
SAT Math,
SAT Venn Diagram
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Isosceles Triangle Perimeter #1 Solution
Problem
An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 50. Two sides of the triangle measure 20 and n in length. If n is an integer, what is the difference between the maximum and minimum values of n?
An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 50. Two sides of the triangle measure 20 and n in length. If n is an integer, what is the difference between the maximum and minimum values of n?
Solution
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Triangle Perimeter, Relationship of sides soluiton
The sides of a triangle are all integers. If one side measures 5 in length, what is the least possible value for the perimeter?
Phil McCaffrey
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Phil McCaffrey
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Sunday, October 21, 2012
Isosceles Triangle Perimeter #1
An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 50. Two sides of the triangle measure 20 and n in length. If n is an integer, what is the difference between the maximum and minimum values of n?
Triangle Perimeter, relationship of the sides
The sides of a triangle are all integers. If one side measures 5 in length, what is the least possible value for the perimeter?
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Median problem
The sum of the set of five consecutive odd integers is 195, what is the median value of the set?
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Isosceles Triangle Angle Measurement #1
#1. An Isosceles triangle has angles of 70 and x degrees. What is the least possible value of x?
#2. An Isosceles triangle has angles of 82 and x degrees. What is the greatest possible value of x?
Phil McCaffrey
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#2. An Isosceles triangle has angles of 82 and x degrees. What is the greatest possible value of x?
Phil McCaffrey
brought to you by Livescribe
Monday, October 15, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Friday, September 07, 2012
Twice as many is half as less
Sometimes two times as many is half as less.A problem that is a problem over and over goes something
like this:
The track team has twice as many members as the cycling
team. The cycling team has three times as many people as the water polo team.
If a student can only be on one team and there are 100 students on all three
teams, how many run track?
Solution:
Twice as many
and three times as many both
mean multiplication. But students often reserve the order. Let’s take a look at
the wrong answer and then a way to remember how to do it correctly.
First let’s set some variables. Notice that the teams or clubs almost always
start with a different letter. I like to use that letter as my variable. Some
students work better with always using x & y. That’s fine, just keep them
straight.
T = number of students who run track. It is the answer to
the question.
C = number of students on the cycling team.
W = number of
students on the water polo team.
Here is the mistake “twice as many on the track team as
cycling.” Students often multiply twice the track team.
2T = C
Wrong. I see this algebraic equation written time and again.
If there are twice as many on the track team, doesn’t that
mean that the track team has MORE people than the cycling team? If the equation 2T = C is correct then put 10
people on the track team, substituting 10 in the place of the variable T.
2(10) = C
20 = C, [T]10 is less
than [C]20 meaning that the track has LESS people.
Twice as many on track means that there is 2C for every one
T.
T= 2C; Track (T) Has (=) Twice (times 2) Cycling (C) .
The way to keep your translations straight is to do as I did
above and put in a basic number like 10 and see which one has more, the one
with twice is always more. 12 often works since it is the first number that has more than four factors, hence the reason that a dozen is still a highly popular base unit in baking and in inches.
If track has twice as many than cycling, than cycling has HALF
as many as track.
T = 2C or T/2 = C
Cycling has three times as many as water polo. Cycling has
MORE people.
C = 3W
Put 12 people on the cycling (three times as many, use a
multiple of three).
12 = 3W
4 = W, we’re ok because 4 is LESS than 12. 12 is three times
as many as 4.
If cycling has three times as many as water polo then water
polo has one-third as many as cycling
C = 3W and C/3 = W
The total number of students is 100.
T + C + W = 100.
If we want to know how many run track, then we have to put
the other variables “in terms of” T.
C = T/2, one done.
W = C/3 W is in terms of C now substitute C in terms of T.
W = [T/2]/3
Simplify
W = T/6
Substitute for C and W
T + T/2 + T/6 = 100.
Find the common denominator, which is 6.
6T/6 + 3T/6 + 1/6 = 100
Add up the fractions:
10T/6 = 100
Multiply both sides by 6/10 to find the value of one T
(6/10)(10T/6) = (100)(6/10)
T = 60
Let’s check our work
If twice as many people run track than cycle, then there are
30 cyclers. If there are three times as many cyclers as water polo players then
there are 10 polo players. Added up 60 + 30 + 10 = 100 total. Check.
Labels:
College Admissions,
SAT Math,
SAT Test Prep,
SAT Word Problems
Sunday, September 02, 2012
Isosceles
An isosceles triangle has angles of 70 and x degrees, what is the least possible value of x?
An isosceles triangle has angles of 82 and z degrees, what is the great possible value of z?
An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 50. Two sides of the triangle measure 20 and n in length, where n is an integer. What is the difference between the maximum and minimum value of n?
See solutions tomorrow, or answer them today.
An isosceles triangle has angles of 82 and z degrees, what is the great possible value of z?
An isosceles triangle has a perimeter of 50. Two sides of the triangle measure 20 and n in length, where n is an integer. What is the difference between the maximum and minimum value of n?
See solutions tomorrow, or answer them today.
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