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These problems are from the October 2001 SAT:

1. In an art class, there were just enough staplers, rulers and glue bottles so that every 2 students had to share a stapler, every 3 students had to share a ruler, and every 4 students had to share a glue bottle. If the sum of the number of staplers, rulers and glue bottles used by the class was 65, how many students were in the class?

ANSWER: 60

2. Two numbers have the property that their sum is equal to their product. If one of the numbers is 6, what is the other number?

ANSWER: 6/5 or 1.2

3. If three different circles are drawn on a piece of paper, at most how many points can be common to all three?

(A) None
(B) One
(C) Two
(D) Three
(E) Siz

ANSWER: (C) Two

I am really hopeless at math!! Someone help!!

Thanks loads!

By Sovietman (Sovietman) on Friday, August 15, 2003 - 10:15 pm: Edit

For the first one you set up the equation x/4 + x/3 + x/2 = 65 and solve for x.

For the second one you simplpy do 6+x=6x, u get
6=5x, there fore x = 6/5

for the third one u just have to draw a diagram of first two circles intersecting in two points, and then a third circle intersecting those two points.

By Aoe2guy (Aoe2guy) on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 10:48 am: Edit

yea just to clarify sovietman (correct answers), for the second problem:
just say it aloud or to yourself i guess:
"the sum of 6 and some number[x] is the same as the product of 6 and some number [x]", so then:
6+x = y
6x = y

since y=y, 6+x = 6x, 6= 5x, x = 6/5

By Funkirabbi (Funkirabbi) on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 04:15 pm: Edit

For #2, how could 6 be one of the answers?

6+6=12
6*6=36

What am I missing?

By Serene (Serene) on Saturday, August 16, 2003 - 04:17 pm: Edit

Funkirabbi: No one ever said 6 is an answer for #2.