At the rate of x feet per s seconds, how many miles does a cyclist tra

Check other Conversion problems to practice from our Special Questions Directory.

Hi All,

These types of questions can almost always be beaten by TESTing VALUES and staying really organized with your work. The formatting of the answer choices is also important - here, the answers are designed in such a way that you don't have to perform every calculation to prove whether an answer is correct or not (and that 'option', when it appears, can play a big role in how effective you are with your overall pacing).

With these answers, notice how a couple of the answers 'hinge' on the number 5280, while two others hinge on the number 88 and the last hinges on the number 22. When TESTing VALUES, you might consider TESTing relatively small values and taking advantage of the patterns in the answer choices.

IF we TEST
X = 3
S = 2
Y = 1

At a rate of 3 feet per 2 seconds, how many miles does a cyclist travel in 1 minute....

1 minute = 60 seconds

60 seconds/2 seconds = 30... so the cyclist traveled (3 feet)(30) = 90 feet in 1 minute. However, this question asks for the number of MILES that the cyclist traveled in Y minutes... and 90 feet is a TINY FRACTION of a mile (specifically 90/5280 = 9/528 = 3/176).

Since all 3 variables are small integers, you can eliminate certain answers immediately...

Answer B = 88..../..... = this will be far GREATER than 1.
Answer C = (3)(4)/(5280)(1) = 12/5280.... this is far TOO SMALL
Answer D = 5280..../..... = this will be significantly GREATER than 1

That just leaves two answers remaining (and notice how the variables appear in the same 'positions' in both answers, but the numerators and denominators are multiplied by different integers). If either answer matches, then you'd have the correct one...

Answer A = (3)(1)/(88)(2) = 3/176

Final Answer:

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Asked: At the rate of x feet per s seconds, how many miles does a cyclist travel in y minutes(5280 feet per mile)?

Speed = x/s feet/seconds = (x/5280)/(s/60) = 60x/5280s = x/88s miles/minute
The miles does a cyclist travel in y minutes = xy/88s miles

IMO A

Hello from the GMAT Club BumpBot!

Thanks to another GMAT Club member, I have just discovered this valuable topic, yet it had no discussion for over a year. I am now bumping it up - doing my job. I think you may find it valuable (esp those replies with Kudos).

Want to see all other topics I dig out? Follow me (click follow button on profile). You will receive a summary of all topics I bump in your profile area as well as via email.