<p>Hi, I'm having issues with a couple of problems in the regular Barron's SAT I prep book (24th ed). I was wondering if anyone could answer my questions.</p>
<p>1) Example 4 p. 569
The volume of a cube and the volume of a cylinder are equal. If the edge of the cube and the radius of the cylinder are each 6, which of the following is the best approximation of the height of the cube?
(A) 1
(B) 2
(C) 3
(4) 6
(E) 12</p>
<p>The answer is (B). The explanation was to calculate the volume of both the cube and the cylinder, then set these volumes equal to each other. But what is the difference between the edge and height of a cube? I thought the height was just one of the edges.</p>
<p>2) Example 3 p. 610
This question was about a graph, so I'll just ask a general question instead. We were supposed to see which ratio was bigger. The bigger ratio had a smaller difference between the two things that were being compared. Why/how is this? Is this always true?</p>
<ol>
<li>Barron’s is stupid</li>
<li>NOt necessarily. For example, 200/100 and 100/50 both have a ratio of 2…10/1 has a ratio of 10:1 yet the difference bweteen the numbers is much less</li>
</ol>
<p>"Any more explanation for the first problem? "</p>
<p>Unfortunately, the only explanation is one that confirms why it is a BAD idea to rely on the tests produced by Barron’s, Kaplan, and all the other producers of wannabe tests. The problem is that the many mistakes are not only a source of laughs but could also confuse students and hinder the adequate preparation. </p>
<p>Although it is impossible to really know what the “author” of this question meant, a good guess would be: "The volume of a cube and the volume of a cylinder are equal. If the edge of the cube and the radius of the cylinder are each 6, which of the following is the best approximation of the height of the CYLINDER?</p>
<p>The idea would be to compare the surface of a square that has sides of 6 to a circle that has a radius of 6. Obviously, the circle would be about 3 times large (think Pi) and the if the cube and cylinder have equal volumes, the height should be 3 times smaller. The answer would be 2.</p>
<p>Thank you xiggi! I see what you mean. Thankfully, I am using the Blue Book for practice tests. I was just going through the math review sections for Barron’s.</p>