HELP for SAT Geometry Question!

Test Preparation SAT Preparation
1

<p>I got stuck with this question. Please help!</p>

<p>If AC=6 and BC=3, if P is the point on line segment AB between A and B such that CP is perpendicular to AB, what could be the value of CP?</p>

<p>A. 2
B. 4
C. 5
D. 7
E. 8</p>

<p>The answer is a. 2, but I could not figure it out. Please help ASAP!
Ps. A diagram is given where AB is greater than BC and says that the figure is not drawn to scale.</p>

2

<p>AB has got to be greater than BC, because triangle inequality says so. (3rd side must be greater than 6 minus3). So Imagine the altitude (lfrom C to AB. 2 right triangles are then formed, PCA and PCB. The hypotnuses (hypotni?) are A and B respectively for those two triangles. Therefore CP (legs of both those triangles) must be less than both of those hypotnuses, since the legs of a right triangle are never longer than the hypotnuse. The only answer that fits this condition is A. 2. </p>

<p>I hope this makes sense lol</p>

3

<p>Thank you!</p>

4

<p>The answer is A. If we draw this figure, we will see that CP is the cathetus of the triangle BPC. In this triangle, CB is the hypotenuse. As we know, CP<CB at all times. We have that CB=3. Thus, the only answer that satisfies our condition is A. CP=2.</p>

<p><a href=“https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1458667_1424627897769672_1040291743_n.jpg[/url]”>https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1458667_1424627897769672_1040291743_n.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;