<p>I am just wondering if i am having problems with math.SAT math is a cake for me i have no problem getting an 800 or somewhere near it,but when it comes deeper(between the difficulty of SAT and USAMO)i get screwed up...I can't do higher math,but regular math is way too easy for me,so question is:Am i counted good at Math?</p>
<p>Depends on the standards you set for yourself. If you’re looking to be the winner of a nation-wide competition, then you’re probably not so brilliant. If you’re putting yourself in the context of your school or those who take the SAT, then yes, you’re pretty good.</p>
<p>I don’t really see the point in this question and how it relates to MIT.</p>
<p>thanks.
10 Char</p>
<p>Here’s an MIT math problem, based in physics, that was on the first MIT problem set that I had in September 1974:</p>
<p>How much rubber comes off a typical car tire each time the tire turns while driving normally?</p>
<p>I think no one in the entire class of 300+ in 8.01 Physics got it quite right. Hint, the final answer was two WORDS, not counting the word “about” or “approximately”. (The answer is not one Smoot – that’s way too big). :)</p>
<p>It could easily take you about 5 minutes or less to get the right answer, although I probably spent 1+ hours to get the wrong answer.</p>
<p>^ Do you mind me asking what the answer was?</p>
<p>Negligible amount.</p>
<p>Haha, quite the engineer’s approach!</p>
<p>CGarcia: You would get an F. Try RISD instead.</p>
<p>Sci-Fri: I do not mind your asking.</p>
<p>Ten micrograms.</p>
<p>I think the reason why ConCerndDad tried to emphasize “WORDS” is that he was trying to tell us that the answer doesn’t include a number.</p>
<p>Michi: To be fair, one word IS a number. The other word is a word.</p>
<p>To get the correct answer, one has to do some math. Also, things are much easier now a days. Back then, there was no internet.</p>
<p>Also, to “win”, you must show your work, just as for a question of a problem set. Just saying “ten micrograms” does not count, and is rewarded with an F. Sorry Razorazor.</p>
<p>^Well, why don’t you tell us the answer, Dad?</p>
<p>Approximately none. </p>
<p>That’s my guess.</p>
<p>Thogh can this be solved with a freshmen’s knowledge of Geometry, Algebra 2, trig, and AP Physics B w/o calculus?</p>
<p>Alright, I’m pretty sure that a tire usually weighs around 20lb, and the problem implies that we’re driving on earth, therefore the weight is a valid measure of “how much”, or the mass, of the rubber that comes off. By common sense, the tires do not spontaneously disappear when I start driving so my answer is below 20lb (let’s pretend 20lb is just one word :D), which fits the conditions of the answer required (2 words, one is numerical, satisfy the question)</p>
<p>Alternatively:</p>
<p>The answer could also be 20 pounds, as every time that the tire inches forward, the rubber in immediate contact with the ground losses mass in order to create the friction needed to move the car forward, and as we continuously deform the tire, it’s impossible to assert that the tire ever makes a true revolution (where we use the outer rim of the tire as the point of reference, rather than the axle), therefore after one true revolution, all of the mass of the tire should be theoretically lost. So 20 pounds.</p>
<p>you’re asking complete strangers to assess your mathematical abilities? lmao.</p>
<p>^What he said.</p>
<p>I post the it in MIT forum,now it’s in the HSF.</p>
<p>Quantum: Ah, grasshopper, you must be patient and must think deeply and cleverly.</p>
<p>Failboat: the question was how much comes off in each turn of the wheel. If a tire weighs 20 pounds, as you say, and 20 pounds came off on the first turn, one would be driving on one’s metal tire rims before you reached the first stop light. Your name is your grade. Try majoring in philosophy, not math or science.</p>
<p>Maybe I should change the question a bit and say instead:</p>
<p>How thick is the layer that comes off a car’s tire in one revolution in normal use?</p>
<p>No calculus is needed. Only high school math and an engineer’s or scientist’s mind.</p>
<p>… because the SAT math is totally not an assessment for middle school children.</p>
<p>not saying I got 800, but it’s not like vector calculus.</p>