{"id":2249,"date":"2010-02-04T10:44:17","date_gmt":"2010-02-04T18:44:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=2249"},"modified":"2013-03-25T21:16:13","modified_gmt":"2013-03-26T04:16:13","slug":"veritas-prep-gmat-tips-why-ask-why-you-may-not-need-to-memorize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/veritas-prep-gmat-tips-why-ask-why-you-may-not-need-to-memorize\/","title":{"rendered":"Veritas Prep GMAT Tips: Why ask why? You may not need to memorize…"},"content":{"rendered":"

Brian Galvin is the Director of Academic Programs at Veritas Prep, where he oversees all of the company\u2019s <\/em>GMAT preparation<\/em><\/a> courses.<\/em><\/p>\n

They say that \u201celephants never forget\u201d, but, when you think about it, is that really all that impressive?\u00a0 How much do elephants really have to remember?\u00a0 Aspiring graduate students, however, have quite a bit to keep track of: dozens of internet passwords, bank account and phone numbers, mothers\u2019 and significant others\u2019 birthdays, and years\u2019 worth of academia that we\u2019ve accumulated over time.\u00a0 Human ingenuity, however, has created computer memory \u2013 we carry gigabytes of storage space in our pockets everywhere we go \u2013 so that we don\u2019t need to rely on our more-limited natural capacity for memory. (Note to elephants:\u00a0 Now who\u2019s impressed?)<\/p>\n

Given that, why would business schools be overly concerned with your capacity to memorize, when you\u2019ll spend the majority of your professional career with databases and Google at your fingertips?\u00a0 Naturally, there are several items for the GMAT that you\u2019ll \u201cjust need to know\u201d, but the authors of the GMAT are more than just clever in their ability to bait you toward incorrect answers; they\u2019re also quite adept at creating a reward system that lines up with what business schools value.\u00a0 Memorization capacity is infinitely less important than is problem solving ability, and so the authors of the GMAT do a laudable job of incorporating mostly skills that you can, if necessary, derive for yourself.\u00a0 Consider the triangle ratios for which you are responsible:<\/p>\n

45-45-90 \u2013 Isosceles Right Triangle: x, x, x\u221a2<\/p>\n

Here, if you simply use the Pythagorean Theorem, a2<\/sup> + b2<\/sup> = c2<\/sup>, you can also note that, because the triangle is isosceles, side a will be equal to side b.\u00a0 Accordingly, if a = b, the Pythagorean formula becomes 2 a2<\/sup> = c2<\/sup>.\u00a0 Then, solving for c to find the ratio, you can follow the steps:<\/p>\n

2 a2<\/sup> = c2<\/sup><\/p>\n

\u221a(2 a2<\/sup>) = \u221ac2 <\/sup><\/p>\n

a\u221a2 = c<\/p>\n

Therefore, you can prove that the hypotenuse, c, is going to be equal to the square root of 2 multiplied by the length of either shorter side.<\/p>\n

The 30-60-90 right triangle ratio, x, x\u221a3, 2x, can be derived in similar fashion.\u00a0 An equilateral triangle has all sides equal, and all angles equal to 60 degrees.\u00a0 If you were to bisect the triangle down the middle, you would create two identical triangles, each with a right angle, one length that is the side of the equilateral triangle, and one side that is half of the equilateral side:<\/p>\n

\"Triangle<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s call the long side, the side of the equilateral triangle, 2x (you\u2019ll see why in a second.\u00a0 Then, the shortest side of the half-triangle will be equal to half of the long side, or x.\u00a0 Then, the height of the equilateral triangle, the new line we drew, we\u2019ll call h, for height.\u00a0 Because the long side is opposite the 90-degree angle, it takes the place of \u201cc\u201d in the Pythagorean Theorem, giving us the formula:<\/p>\n

x2<\/sup> + h2<\/sup> = (2x)2<\/sup><\/p>\n

Solving for h, we\u2019ll find that:<\/p>\n

x2<\/sup> + h2<\/sup> = 4x2<\/sup><\/p>\n

h2<\/sup> = 4x2<\/sup> \u2013 x2<\/p>\n

h2<\/sup> = 3x2<\/sup><\/p>\n

h = x\u221a3<\/p>\n

\"Triangle
\n<\/sup><\/p>\n

Therefore, we can prove that the triangle ratio for a 30-60-90 triangle is x, x\u221a3, 2x.\u00a0 Naturally, if you can memorize these properties, it will make your calculations go much more quickly, but keep in mind this:\u00a0 most of the \u201cknowledge\u201d that you need for the GMAT you can derive for yourself if you absolutely have to.\u00a0 Because of this, if you blank on a particular formula or property, see if you can quickly prove it back to yourself. The authors of the GMAT can\u2019t simply reward memorization, so they almost always provide you a way to create what you need for yourself.\u00a0 Just knowing this fact, and practicing it if you blank on a formula while you study, can help you develop a supreme confidence heading in to the exam.\u00a0 That\u2019s the thing about the authors of the GMAT \u2013 when they seem their \u201ccruelest\u201d, setting trap after trap to keep your score down, they usually also provide you with a path out of the trap if you\u2019re willing to seek it out.<\/p>\n

Read more GMAT advice on the Veritas Prep blog<\/a>. Ready to sign up for a GMAT course? Enroll through GMAT Club and you\u2019ll not only save up to $180 (use discount code GMATC10<\/strong>), but you\u2019ll also get access to all 30 of GMAT Club\u2019s GMAT practice tests! Read more info here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"GMAT<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Brian Galvin is the Director of Academic Programs at Veritas Prep, where he oversees all of the company\u2019s GMAT preparation courses. They say that \u201celephants never forget\u201d, but, when you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[152,9,243],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gmat-tests","category-gmat","category-blog","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2249"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17647,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2249\/revisions\/17647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}