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andi1
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Inequalities Question 21 Sep 2019, 17:29
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Hi everyone,

If a Data Sufficiency question asks me "is xm<ym?" can I divide m out on both sides in order to simplify the opening statement? So then it would become, "is x<y?"

Thanks!

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Inequalities Question 23 Sep 2019, 23:04
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andi1 - Absolutely NOT. Your fundamentals are not clear and therefore I would highly recommend you review the basic math concepts. For concept clarity, we have an excellent in-house resource: GMAT Math Book.

GMAT Math Book: https://gmatclub.com/forum/gmat-math-bo ... 30609.html
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Inequalities Question 25 Sep 2019, 09:04
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No you can't. Unless you know that m is positive. If m is negative then the signs will reverse.
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Inequalities Question 05 Oct 2019, 14:23
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andi1
Hi everyone,

If a Data Sufficiency question asks me "is xm<ym?" can I divide m out on both sides in order to simplify the opening statement? So then it would become, "is x<y?"

Thanks!
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Nope! Here's why: when you divide both sides of an inequality by a negative number, you have to flip the inequality to point in the other direction. If you divide by a positive number, you don't have to do that. However, you don't know whether m is a negative number or a positive number. So, you have no way of knowing whether you're supposed to flip the inequality, so you're stuck.

Of course, if you know for sure that m is positive, you can do what you described. And if you know for sure that m is negative, you can simplify to "is x > y?" (flipping the inequality.)

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