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505-555 (Easy)|   Arithmetic|                  
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Bunuel
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By quickly testing out answers, -40 is the only one that equalizes both, (E).

9/5(-40) + 32 = -40, C= -40, when F= -40.
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E. -40

F = 9/5*C + 32
Set both sides equal to each other.
x=(9x/5) + 32
Solve for X
4x/5 = -32
x= -40
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Hello Moderators,

I dont know if this was just me, but I read the stem as \(F = \frac{9}{5*C}+ 32\) and lost some time solving this.

What it actually means is \(F = \frac{9}{5}*C + 32\).

Since this is a OG question, do you think this should be made math friendly to be sure someone does not misread it?

Thanks in advance!

Bunuel
The Official Guide For GMAT® Quantitative Review, 2ND Edition

Temperatures in degrees Celsius (C) can be converted to temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit (F) by the formula F = 9/5*C + 32. What is the temperature at which F = C?

(A) 20°
(B) (32/5)°
(C) 0°
(D) -20°
(E) -40°

Problem Solving
Question: 77
Category: Algebra First-degree equations
Page: 71
Difficulty: 600

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susheelh
Hello Moderators,

I dont know if this was just me, but I read the stem as \(F = \frac{9}{5*C}+ 32\) and lost some time solving this.

What it actually means is \(F = \frac{9}{5}*C + 32\).

Since this is a OG question, do you think this should be made math friendly to be sure someone does not misread it?

Thanks in advance!

Mathematically 9/5*C can only mean \(\frac{9}{5}*C\). If it were \(\frac{9}{5*C}\) it would have been written as 9/(5*C). Still edited.
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Bunuel
The Official Guide For GMAT® Quantitative Review, 2ND Edition

Temperatures in degrees Celsius (C) can be converted to temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit (F) by the formula \(F = \frac{9}{5}*C + 32\). What is the temperature at which F = C?

(A) 20°
(B) (32/5)°
(C) 0°
(D) -20°
(E) -40°

Problem Solving
Question: 77
Category: Algebra First-degree equations
Page: 71
Difficulty: 600

GMAT Club is introducing a new project: The Official Guide For GMAT® Quantitative Review, 2ND Edition - Quantitative Questions Project

Each week we'll be posting several questions from The Official Guide For GMAT® Quantitative Review, 2ND Edition and then after couple of days we'll provide Official Answer (OA) to them along with a slution.

We'll be glad if you participate in development of this project:
1. Please provide your solutions to the questions;
2. Please vote for the best solutions by pressing Kudos button;
3. Please vote for the questions themselves by pressing Kudos button;
4. Please share your views on difficulty level of the questions, so that we have most precise evaluation.

Thank you!

Temperatures in degrees Celsius (C) can be converted to temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit (F) by the formula \(F = \frac{9}{5}*C + 32\). What is the temperature at which F = C?

\(F = \frac{9}{5}*F + 32\)
\(-32= \frac{4}{5}*F\)
\(-32\frac{5}{4}= F\)
\(-40= F=C\)

IMO E
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F = 9/5*C+32
Here we have two ways:
1. using options and substituting values or
2.
We have to find when F=C, so in the equation we can substitute :
F = 9/5*F +32
-4/5*F=32
F=-40

Option E
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Bunuel
The Official Guide For GMAT® Quantitative Review, 2ND Edition

Temperatures in degrees Celsius (C) can be converted to temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit (F) by the formula \(F = \frac{9}{5}*C + 32\). What is the temperature at which F = C?

(A) 20°
(B) (32/5)°
(C) 0°
(D) -20°
(E) -40°


In two seconds, we can see that it's not going to be 0. C is out.
We can also immediately see that we are going to need a negative number. A and B are out.
Eyeballing D: -20 = -180/5 + 32? Nope. D is out.

Answer choice E.
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If F = C

Then C = 9/5*C + 32
C = (-5/4)*32
C = -40.

Thus, the correct option is E.
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Bunuel
The temperature in degrees Celsius (C) can be converted to temperature in degrees Fahrenheit (F) by the formula \(F = \frac{9}{5}*C + 32\). What is the temperature at which F = C?

(A) 20°
(B) (32/5)°
(C) 0°
(D) -20°
(E) -40°





Nick Slavkovich, GMAT/GRE tutor with 20+ years of experience

[email protected]
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