Last visit was: 10 Jun 2026, 01:39 It is currently 10 Jun 2026, 01:39
Home
Messages
MBA Fair
Tests
Schools
Events
Close
GMAT Club Daily Prep
Thank you for using the timer - this advanced tool can estimate your performance and suggest more practice questions. We have subscribed you to Daily Prep Questions via email.

Customized
for You

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History

Track
Your Progress

every week, we’ll send you an estimated GMAT score based on your performance

Practice
Pays

we will pick new questions that match your level based on your Timer History
Not interested in getting valuable practice questions and articles delivered to your email? No problem, unsubscribe here.
Go to My Error Log Learn more
Close
Request Expert Reply
Confirm Cancel
Back to Forum
Create Topic
User avatar
guddo
User avatar
Joined: 25 May 2021
Last visit: 09 Jun 2026
Posts: 1,385
Own Kudos:
12,500
 [54]
Given Kudos: 32
Posts: 1,385
Kudos: 12,500
 [54]
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 24 Jan 2024, 09:52
4
Kudos
Add Kudos
50
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
00:00
Start Timer
Pause Timer
Resume Timer
Show Answer
Hide
Show
History
D
Be sure to select an answer first to save it in the Error Log before revealing the correct answer (OA)!

Difficulty:

25% (medium)

Question Stats:

78% (01:27) correct 22% (01:34) wrong based on 1173 sessions

History

Date
Time
Result
Not Attempted Yet
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the degrees, the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°. Which of the following equations does P satisfy?

A. 2|P - 32|= |P - 10|

B. P + 32 = |P - 10|

C. 2|P + 32= |P + 10|

D. |P - 32| = 2|P + 10|

E. |P - 32| = 2|P - 10|

Show Spoiler
Attachment:
2024-01-24_20-49-15.png
2024-01-24_20-49-15.png [ 52.57 KiB | Viewed 13123 times ]
ShowHide Answer
Official Answer
D
Trying to understand why the right answer is right? GMAT Club Tests explanations walk through concepts, shortcuts, and common traps on many questions. See how →
Most Helpful Reply
User avatar
chetan2u
User avatar
GMAT Expert
Joined: 02 Aug 2009
Last visit: 09 Jun 2026
Posts: 11,241
Own Kudos:
45,368
 [8]
Given Kudos: 338
Status:Math and DI Expert
Location: India
Concentration: Human Resources, General Management
GMAT Focus 1: 735 Q90 V89 DI81
Products:
My Reviews
Expert
Expert reply
GMAT Focus 1: 735 Q90 V89 DI81
Posts: 11,241
Kudos: 45,368
 [8]
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 24 Jan 2024, 10:37
3
Kudos
Add Kudos
5
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
guddo
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the degrees, the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°. Which of the following equations does P satisfy?

A. 2|P - 32|= |P - 10|

B. P + 32 = |P - 10|

C. 2|P + 32= |P + 10|

D. |P - 32| = 2|P + 10|

E. |P - 32| = 2|P - 10|

Show Spoiler
Attachment:
2024-01-24_20-49-15.png
Show more

Distance is always positive so we take absolute values.

The distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32°, that is |P-32|, is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°, that is |P-(-10)| or |P+10|

Thus, |P-32|=2|P+10|

D
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 10 Jun 2026
Posts: 111,172
Own Kudos:
819,842
 [7]
Given Kudos: 106,738
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 111,172
Kudos: 819,842
 [7]
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 25 Feb 2024, 23:45
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
6
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post

Hope it helps.­­­
General Discussion
User avatar
gmatophobia
User avatar
Quant Chat Moderator
Joined: 22 Dec 2016
Last visit: 09 Jun 2026
Posts: 3,173
Own Kudos:
11,691
 [4]
Given Kudos: 1,860
Location: India
Concentration: Strategy, Leadership
Posts: 3,173
Kudos: 11,691
 [4]
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 24 Jan 2024, 10:44
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
3
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
guddo
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the degrees, the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°. Which of the following equations does P satisfy?

A. 2|P - 32|= |P - 10|

B. P + 32 = |P - 10|

C. 2|P + 32= |P + 10|

D. |P - 32| = 2|P + 10|

E. |P - 32| = 2|P - 10|

Show Spoiler
Attachment:
2024-01-24_20-49-15.png
Show more

|a - b| represents the distance between a and b.

the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° ⇒ | P - 32 |

the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10° ⇒ | P - (-10) | = |P + 10|

Given

The distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°

| P - 32 | = 2 * |P + 10|

Option D
User avatar
EnriqueDandolo
User avatar
Joined: 07 Aug 2024
Last visit: 15 Oct 2025
Posts: 16
Own Kudos:
2
 [1]
Given Kudos: 17
Posts: 16
Kudos: 2
 [1]
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 07 Mar 2025, 10:02
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hey experts, Bunuel KarishmaB, I hope you are doing fine. I am tagging you to ask you if you could please help me with the following question:

I was wondering why isn't the correct answer?:
A. 2 lP - 32l= lP - 10l

My logic is that since the stimulus tells me

"...the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°..."

then the left side (distance between P and 32) must therefore be twice the distance between (P and -10).

Also, another question is that if distance is always represented by the difference between 2 points in absolute terms, using the equations la - bl, then how did we know to plug into "a" the value "p" in both cases, and plug into "b" the value "32" and "-10".

Many thanks in advance for your help and time.
guddo
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the degrees, the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°. Which of the following equations does P satisfy?

A. 2|P - 32|= |P - 10|

B. P + 32 = |P - 10|

C. 2|P + 32= |P + 10|

D. |P - 32| = 2|P + 10|

E. |P - 32| = 2|P - 10|

Show Spoiler
Attachment:
2024-01-24_20-49-15.png
Show more
User avatar
KarishmaB
User avatar
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Last visit: 09 Jun 2026
Posts: 16,491
Own Kudos:
79,877
 [1]
Given Kudos: 485
Location: Pune, India
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 16,491
Kudos: 79,877
 [1]
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 07 Mar 2025, 21:43
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
A is twice of B is written as A = 2*B

"is" is equivalent to "="
"twice of" is equivalent to "2*"

So A is twice of B => A = 2*B

NOT 2A = B

Also, distance between P and 10 will be |P - 10|.
Similarly, distance between P and -10 will be |P - (-10)| = |P+10|

That is why the answer is (D)


EnriqueDandolo
Hey experts, Bunuel KarishmaB, I hope you are doing fine. I am tagging you to ask you if you could please help me with the following question:

I was wondering why isn't the correct answer?:
A. 2 lP - 32l= lP - 10l

My logic is that since the stimulus tells me

"...the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°..."

then the left side (distance between P and 32) must therefore be twice the distance between (P and -10).

Also, another question is that if distance is always represented by the difference between 2 points in absolute terms, using the equations la - bl, then how did we know to plug into "a" the value "p" in both cases, and plug into "b" the value "32" and "-10".

Many thanks in advance for your help and time.
guddo
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the degrees, the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°. Which of the following equations does P satisfy?

A. 2|P - 32|= |P - 10|

B. P + 32 = |P - 10|

C. 2|P + 32= |P + 10|

D. |P - 32| = 2|P + 10|

E. |P - 32| = 2|P - 10|

Show Spoiler
Attachment:
2024-01-24_20-49-15.png
Show more
User avatar
EnriqueDandolo
User avatar
Joined: 07 Aug 2024
Last visit: 15 Oct 2025
Posts: 16
Own Kudos:
2
Given Kudos: 17
Posts: 16
Kudos: 2
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 09 Mar 2025, 13:35
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hey Karishma thanks so much for your help, it's clear now.

KarishmaB
A is twice of B is written as A = 2*B

"is" is equivalent to "="
"twice of" is equivalent to "2*"

So A is twice of B => A = 2*B

NOT 2A = B

Also, distance between P and 10 will be |P - 10|.
Similarly, distance between P and -10 will be |P - (-10)| = |P+10|

That is why the answer is (D)


EnriqueDandolo
Hey experts, Bunuel KarishmaB, I hope you are doing fine. I am tagging you to ask you if you could please help me with the following question:

I was wondering why isn't the correct answer?:
A. 2 lP - 32l= lP - 10l

My logic is that since the stimulus tells me

"...the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°..."

then the left side (distance between P and 32) must therefore be twice the distance between (P and -10).

Also, another question is that if distance is always represented by the difference between 2 points in absolute terms, using the equations la - bl, then how did we know to plug into "a" the value "p" in both cases, and plug into "b" the value "32" and "-10".

Many thanks in advance for your help and time.
guddo
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the degrees, the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and 32° is twice the distance between the tick marks for the temperatures P° and -10°. Which of the following equations does P satisfy?

A. 2|P - 32|= |P - 10|

B. P + 32 = |P - 10|

C. 2|P + 32= |P + 10|

D. |P - 32| = 2|P + 10|

E. |P - 32| = 2|P - 10|

Show Spoiler
Attachment:
2024-01-24_20-49-15.png
Show more
User avatar
Saun2511
User avatar
Joined: 17 Jun 2025
Last visit: 19 Apr 2026
Posts: 16
Given Kudos: 80
Location: India
Posts: 16
Kudos: 0
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 24 Oct 2025, 03:30
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Hi, but we are calculating distance bw point p and -10 so it will be 10 spaces WHich is p-10 not p+10. Please help Bunuel KarishmaB
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 10 Jun 2026
Posts: 111,172
Own Kudos:
819,842
 [1]
Given Kudos: 106,738
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 111,172
Kudos: 819,842
 [1]
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 24 Oct 2025, 05:22
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Saun2511
Hi, but we are calculating distance bw point p and -10 so it will be 10 spaces WHich is p-10 not p+10. Please help Bunuel KarishmaB
Show more
The distance between two points A and B on a number line is |A - B|. So, the distance between P and -10 is |P - (-10)|, which becomes |P + 10|.
User avatar
Saun2511
User avatar
Joined: 17 Jun 2025
Last visit: 19 Apr 2026
Posts: 16
Given Kudos: 80
Location: India
Posts: 16
Kudos: 0
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 24 Oct 2025, 12:41
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Thanks for the prompt response! I get the idea but do not understand it fully :(
Bunuel

The distance between two points A and B on a number line is |A - B|. So, the distance between P and -10 is |P - (-10)|, which becomes |P + 10|.
Show more
User avatar
Bunuel
User avatar
Math Expert
Joined: 02 Sep 2009
Last visit: 10 Jun 2026
Posts: 111,172
Own Kudos:
819,842
 [1]
Given Kudos: 106,738
Products:
GMAT Club Tests Forum Quiz
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 111,172
Kudos: 819,842
 [1]
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 24 Oct 2025, 12:49
1
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Saun2511
Thanks for the prompt response! I get the idea but do not understand it fully :(

Show more

Absolute Value

Theory

Questions

For more check Ultimate GMAT Quantitative Megathread

Hope it helps.
User avatar
KarishmaB
User avatar
Joined: 16 Oct 2010
Last visit: 09 Jun 2026
Posts: 16,491
Own Kudos:
79,877
Given Kudos: 485
Location: Pune, India
Expert
Expert reply
Active GMAT Club Expert! Tag them with @ followed by their username for a faster response.
Posts: 16,491
Kudos: 79,877
On a laboratory thermometer with equally spaced tick marks for the d 25 Oct 2025, 21:21
Kudos
Add Kudos
Bookmarks
Bookmark this Post
Saun2511
Hi, but we are calculating distance bw point p and -10 so it will be 10 spaces WHich is p-10 not p+10. Please help Bunuel KarishmaB
Show more

Another way to understand is to take an example on the number line. Say p = 50

Distance between p and 10? 40 which is 50 - 10
Distance between p and -10? 60 which is 50 - (-10)
Attachments

Screenshot 2025-10-26 at 9.49.42 AM.png
Screenshot 2025-10-26 at 9.49.42 AM.png [ 27.25 KiB | Viewed 2193 times ]

Moderator:
Bunuel
Math Expert
111172 posts