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What is the average of a, b and c?

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What is the average of a, b and c? [#permalink]

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New post 31 Jul 2014, 14:50
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What is the average of a, b and c?

(1) The average of a and b is c.
(2) The average of b and c is 4.
Spoiler: OA
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Re: What is the average of a, b and c? [#permalink]

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New post 01 Aug 2014, 07:30
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What is the average of a, b and c?

The average of a, b and c is (a + b + c)/3. So, basically to answer the question we need to know the value of a + b + c.

(1) The average of a and b is c --> (a + b)/2 = c --> a + b = 2c. Not sufficient.

(2) The average of b and c is 4 --> (b + c)/2 = 4 --> c = 8 - b. Not sufficient.

(1)+(2) We have that a + b = 2c and c = 8 - b, thus a + b + c = 2c + c = 3c = 3(8 - b). Without knowing the value of c or b we cannot get this value. For example, consider a = 1, b = 5, c = 3 or a = 4, b = 4 and c = 4. Not sufficient.

Answer: E.
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Re: What is the average of a, b and c? [#permalink]

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New post 18 Sep 2016, 04:47
1
A) avg of a and b is c
hence, a+b = 2c
further avg of a,b,c = (a+b+c)/3 = 3c/3 => c but value of c is unknown, Not suff

B) avg of b and c is 4 , so, b+c = 8 , but value of a is unknown

combining we can't deduce value of c, not sufficient again
E is the answer
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Re: What is the average of a, b and c? [#permalink]

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New post 18 Sep 2016, 06:31
Top Contributor
suk1234 wrote:
What is the average of a, b and c?

(1) The average of a and b is c.
(2) The average of b and c is 4.


Target question: What is the average of a, b, and c?
NOTE: since the average = (a+b+c)/3, our goal here is to find the SUM a + b + c

So, we can REPHRASE the target question....
REPHRASED target question: What is the value of a + b + c?

Statement 1: The average of a and b is c
This means that (a + b)/2 = c
Multiply both sides by 2 to get: a + b = 2c
There are several values of a, b, and c that satisfy statement 1. Here are two:
Case a: a = 1, b = 1 and c = 2, in which case a + b + c = 1 + 2 + 2 = 5
Case b: a = 1, b = 2 and c = 3, in which case a + b + c = 1 + 2 + 3 = 6
Since we cannot answer the REPHRASED target question with certainty, statement 1 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Statement 2: The average of b and c is 4
Since there's no information about a, there's no way to find the value of a + b + c
Since we cannot answer the REPHRASED target question with certainty, statement 2 is NOT SUFFICIENT

Statements 1 and 2 combined
Statement 1 tells us that a + b = 2c
Statement 2 tells us that (b + c)/2 = 4, which means b + c = 8

So, we have the following system:
b + c = 8
a + b = 2c

IMPORTANT: Many students will look at this system and incorrectly conclude that, since we have 2 equations and 3 variables, there's no way to answer the target question. This is not necessarily the case, because the target question does NOT ask us to find the individual values of a, b and c. The target question asks us to find the SUM of a, b, and c. So, for example, if the two equations happened to be a + b + 2c = 5 and 2a + 2b + c = 19, then we could ADD the equations to get 3a + 3b + 3c = 24, and upon dividing both sides by 3, we'd see that a + b + c = 8, in which case we COULD answer the target question despite only having 2 equations with 3 variables.
So, we can't just automatically assume that we don't have sufficient information.

So, let's TEST some values of a, b and c that satisfy BOTH equations.

NOTE: since the equation b + c = 8 doesn't have the variable a, let's use it to first find some values of c and b, then we'll use the other equation, a + b = 2c, to find the corresponding a value.

Case a: b = 1 and c = 7 satisfies the equation b + c = 8 . Now plug these values into the other equation (a + b = 2c) to get: a + 1 = 2(7). Solve to get: a = 13.
So, the values are a = 13, b = 1 and c = 7, which means a + b + c = 13 + 1 + 7 = 21
Case b: b = 0 and c = 8 satisfies the equation b + c = 8 . Now plug these values into the other equation (a + b = 2c) to get: a + 0 = 2(8). Solve to get: a = 16.
So, the values are a = 16, b = 0 and c = 8, which means a + b + c = 16 + 0 + 8 = 24
Since we cannot answer the REPHRASED target question with certainty, the combined statements are NOT SUFFICIENT

Answer =
Spoiler: ::
E


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What is the average of a,b,and c? [#permalink]

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New post 20 Apr 2017, 05:01
What is the average of a,b,and c?

(1) The average of a and b is c.
(2) the average of b and c is 4.
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Re: What is the average of a,b,and c? [#permalink]

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New post 20 Apr 2017, 07:37
Chemerical71 wrote:
What is the average of a,b,and c?

(1) The average of a and b is c.
(2) the average of b and c is 4.



(1) a+c=2c
thus avg of a,b,c = a+b+c/3
putting a+b= 2c
avg =c
insuff

(2) no info on a
insuff

combining again, we also not get any unique value

Ans E
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Re: What is the average of a, b and c? [#permalink]

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New post 20 Apr 2017, 07:58
Chemerical71 wrote:
What is the average of a,b,and c?

(1) The average of a and b is c.
(2) the average of b and c is 4.


Merging topics. Please refer to the discussion above.
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GMAT Math Book | Triangles | Polygons | Coordinate Geometry | Factorials | Circles | Number Theory | Remainders; 8. Overlapping Sets | PDF of Math Book; 10. Remainders | GMAT Prep Software Analysis | SEVEN SAMURAI OF 2012 (BEST DISCUSSIONS) | Tricky questions from previous years.

Collection of Questions:
PS: 1. Tough and Tricky questions; 2. Hard questions; 3. Hard questions part 2; 4. Standard deviation; 5. Tough Problem Solving Questions With Solutions; 6. Probability and Combinations Questions With Solutions; 7 Tough and tricky exponents and roots questions; 8 12 Easy Pieces (or not?); 9 Bakers' Dozen; 10 Algebra set. ,11 Mixed Questions, 12 Fresh Meat

DS: 1. DS tough questions; 2. DS tough questions part 2; 3. DS tough questions part 3; 4. DS Standard deviation; 5. Inequalities; 6. 700+ GMAT Data Sufficiency Questions With Explanations; 7 Tough and tricky exponents and roots questions; 8 The Discreet Charm of the DS; 9 Devil's Dozen!!!; 10 Number Properties set., 11 New DS set.


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Re: What is the average of a, b and c?   [#permalink] 20 Apr 2017, 07:58
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