On the Celsius scale of temperature, water freezes at 0° and boils at

Question

On the Celsius scale of temperature, water freezes at 0° and boils at 100°; for the Fahrenheit scale, these numbers are 32 and 212. Larry is familiar with both scales; he only had one kitchen thermometer, which broke yesterday. Looking in a store for a new kitchen thermometer, Larry noticed one marked only on the Celsius scale from −20°C to 100°C—and one marked only on the Fahrenheit scale from 32°F to 212°F. The thermometers have essentially no differences in any important factors such as quality, reliability, user-friendliness, or price. Which thermometer would better suit Larry’s needs?

(1) Larry never needs his kitchen thermometer to measure temperatures of foods to a precision greater than 1°C.
(2) Larry sometimes needs his kitchen thermometer to measure various temperatures of frozen foods.

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Official Answer

B

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Fictional26 · Answer

Could you please explain why the first one is wrong?

Borrat · Answer

both tools in the shop provide a range of values, not how they are broken down in increments. 
example:
is it 1 - 1.05 - 2 - 2.05 -.....100
or is it 1 - 2 - 3 - 3.. 100 
or is it 1 - 1.01 - 1.02 - 1.03....2 - 2.01 - 20.2 ....3 ....100

1) mentions precision - but we only know the ranges ... Not the precision of the tools.
2) only one of the tools in the shop measure below freezing level. suff

-- this is Verbal Data sufficiency blended with quant

Usernamevisible · Answer

We compare the temperature ranges.
Celsius thermometer:
-20°C to 100°C
Fahrenheit thermometer:
32°F to 212°F
Convert mentally:
32°F = 0°C
212°F = 100°C
So Fahrenheit thermometer covers:
0°C to 100°C
Celsius thermometer covers:
-20°C to 100°C
So the Celsius thermometer can measure colder temperatures.
 
Statement (1)
Larry does not need precision greater than 1°C.
This discusses precision only.
It says nothing about whether Larry needs temperatures below 0°C.
Both thermometers could still work.
Insufficient.
 
Statement (2)
Larry sometimes measures frozen foods.
Frozen foods can be below 0°C.
The Fahrenheit thermometer cannot measure below 0°C.
The Celsius thermometer can measure down to -20°C.
So the Celsius thermometer better suits Larry’s needs.
Sufficient.
 
Answer:
B
Statement (2) alone is sufficient.

FutureForbes40U40 · Answer

If Larry does not measure temperature with greater than 1°C, doesn't this mean that Larry will be more comfortable using the thermometer with the Celsius scale rather than the Fahrenheit one? I chose D because of this logic.

egmat · Answer

Hi FutureForbes40U40,

I see exactly where your D came from, and it's a natural read. But notice what Statement ( 1 ) actually gives us, versus what you're adding to it.

Statement ( 1 ) only says Larry  never needs precision finer than 1°C . That's a fact about  how fine  he reads, not about  which scale  he prefers or  which temperatures  he needs to reach. Both thermometers can deliver  1°C  precision, so on precision alone they tie. And remember - the problem already tells us user-friendliness is the same for both, so "more comfortable with Celsius" isn't a difference we're allowed to use.

The real difference between the two thermometers is range.  Convert the Fahrenheit one:  32°F  =  0°C  and  212°F  =  100°C , so it covers  0°C to 100°C . The Celsius one covers  -20°C to 100°C  - it's the only one that reads  below freezing . So the question "which is better?" really hinges on one thing:  does Larry ever need below-zero readings?

Why (1) can't settle it - two cases

Both obey Statement ( 1 ) (precision no finer than  1°C ), yet they disagree:

-  Case A:  Larry only measures hot foods, never below  0°C  - both thermometers work equally - no winner.
-  Case B:  Larry sometimes measures frozen foods below  0°C  - only the Celsius one reaches them - Celsius wins.

Same statement,  two different answers  -  not sufficient.  That's the DS rule at work.

Statement ( 2 ) directly tells us Larry  does  measure frozen foods (below  0°C ), so only the Celsius thermometer works - a definite answer. That's why  (2) alone is sufficient  and the answer is  B , not D.

The takeaway: in DS, a statement is only  sufficient  if it forces  one  answer across every allowed scenario - and precision simply doesn't pin down the range question.

Answer: B

Gaurav1144 · Answer

Can someone explain the case of implicit assumption that frozen foods would have temperature below 0 degrees Celsius? I understand it in the real world, but I still had to make an assumption that the temperature of frozen food would fall in the range below the freezing point. As far as I am concerned, I could consider food frozen at 4 degrees C. What is stopping me in this question from interpreting that?

I understand the implicit assumption, but when am I allowed these assumptions, and where this option may as well be a trap? Something on the lines of the paragraph talks about water, and nothing about food is mentioned.

I understand the implicit assumption, but when am I allowed these assumptions, and where this option may as well be a trap? Something on the lines of the paragraph talks about water, and nothing about food is mentioned.

StuffMob · Answer

From actual range and opphysical quantity, we can see that Fahrenheit scale has more precision than 1 degree Celsius. But since the actual precision of the scales he saw at the store is not given therefore A not sufficient. The Celsius scale may have less precision leading to it being disqualified. Or Fahrenheit scale might have less readings with greater than 1F precision. So we don’t know for sure.

FirstTown · Answer

Because statement 1 doesn't answer the question " Which thermometer would better suit Larry’s needs?" definitely.

On the Celsius scale of temperature, water freezes at 0° and boils at

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GMAT Data Sufficiency (DS) Questions

On the Celsius scale of temperature, water freezes at 0° and boils at

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