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SAT 2016

CHAPTER 8

The SAT Math Test:

Problem Solving and Data
Analysis

Skill 2: Working with Rates,

Ratios, Percentages, and
Proportions

Lesson 5: Rates and unit rates

On a sunny day, a 50 square

meter section of solar panel array
can generate an average of 1
kilowatt-hour of energy per hour
over a 10-hour period. If an
average household consumes 30
kilowatt-hours of energy per day,
how large an array would be
required to power 1,000
households on sunny days?

A) 1,500 square meters

B) 15,000 square meters

C) 150,000 square meters

D) 15,000,000 square meters

(Medium) This is clearly a “rate

problem,” because it includes two
“per” quantities. When working
with rates, keep two important
ideas in mind:

The units for any rate can be

translated to give the formula
for the rate. For instance, if a
word problem includes the fact
that “a rocket burns fuel at a rate
of 15 kilograms per second,” this
fact can be translated into a
formula as long as we remember
that per means divided by:

Any “rate fact” in a problem can

be interpreted as a “conversion
factor.” For instance, if “a rocket
burns fuel at a rate of 15 kilograms
per second,” then in the context of
that problem, one second of
burning is equivalent to 15
kilograms of fuel being burned.
Therefore, as we discussed in
Chapter 7, Lesson 4, we are
entitled to use either of the
following conversion factors in
this problem:

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Just as we did in Chapter 7,

Lesson 4, we can solve this
problem by just noticing that it is
essentially a conversion
problem. The question asks “how
large an array (in square meters)
would be required to power 1,000
households on sunny days?” So
we can treat the problem as a
conversion from a particular
number of households to a
particular number of square
meters of solar panels:

Note very carefully how (1) all of

the units on the left side of the
equation cancel except for “square
meters” (which is what we want),
and (2) each conversion factor
represents an explicit fact
mentioned in the problem.

Many rate problems can be easily

managed with the “rate pie”:

This is a simple graphical device

to organize information in a rate
problem. It is simply a way of
expressing all three forms of the
“rate equation” at once: distance =
rate × time; rate = distance/time;
and time = distance/rate. For
example, if a word problem states
that “Maria completes an x-mile
bicycle race at an average speed
of z miles per hour,” your “rate pie”
should look like this:

First, we plug the given values in:

x miles goes in for distance, and z
miles per hour goes in for rate.
Then, as soon as two of the
spaces are filled, we simply
perform the operation between
them (in this case division) and
put the result in the final space.
In this case, the time Maria took to
complete the race was

x/z hours.

A water pump for a dredging

project can remove 180 gallons of
water per minute, but can work
only for 3 consecutive hours, at
which time it requires 20 minutes
of maintenance before it can be
brought back online. While it is
offline, a smaller pump is used in
its place, which can pump 80
gallons per minute. Using this
system, what is the least amount
of time it would take to pump
35,800 gallons of water?

A) 3 hour 10 minutes

B) 3 hours 15 minutes

C) 3 hours 25 minutes

D) 3 hours 30 minutes

(Hard) If we want to pump out the

water as quickly as possible, we
want to use the stronger pump for
the maximum three hours. To find
the total amount of water pumped
in that time, we do the conversion:

So after 3 hours, there are still

35,800 − 32,400 = 3,400 gallons
left to pump. At that point, the
smaller pump must be used for a
minimum of 20 minutes, which can
pump

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which still leaves 3,400 − 1,600 =

1,800 gallons left. Notice that we
have already taken 3 hours and 20
minutes, and as yet have not
finished pumping. This means that
choices (A) and (B) are certainly
incorrect. So how long will it take
to pump the remaining 1,800
gallons? Now that we can bring
the stronger pump online, it will
only take 1,800 gallons × (1
minute/180 gallons) = 10 more
minutes; therefore, the correct
answer is (D).

Although you don”t need to

construct a graph of this situation
to solve the problem, graphing
helps show the overall picture:

Notice that the line has a slope of

180 for the first 180 minutes, then
80 for the next 20 minutes, and
then 180 for the next 180 minutes,
and crosses the line

y = 35,800 at 210 minutes.

In the graph of any linear function,

y in terms of x, the slope of the
line is equivalent to the unit rate
of the function, that is, the rate at
which y increases or decreases
for every unit increase in x.

Lesson 6: Ratios: part-to-part

and part-to-whole

A marathon offers $5,000 in prize

money to the top three finishers. If
the first-, second-, and third-place
prizes are distributed in a ratio of
5:4:1, how much money, in dollars,
does the second-place finisher
receive?

(Easy) When given a “part-to-part”

ratio, such as 5:4:1 (which is of
course, really a part-to-part-to-part
ratio), it often helps to add up the
parts and consider the whole. This
prize is divided into 5 + 4 + 1 = 10
equal parts, so the winner gets
5/10 of the prize money, the
second-place finisher gets 4/10 of
the prize money, and the third-
place finisher gets 1/10 of the
prize money. The second-place
finisher therefore takes home
(4/10) × $5,000 = $2,000.

If you are given a part-to-part ratio,

it is often helpful to add up the
parts and then divide each part by
the sum. For instance, if a paint
mixture is a 2:5 combination of red
and yellow, respectively, the “
whole” is 2 + 5 = 7, which means
that the mixture is 2/7 red and 5/7
yellow.

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Bronze is an alloy (a metallic

mixture) consisting of copper and
tin. If 50 kg of a bronze alloy of
20% tin and 80% copper is mixed
with 70 kg of a bronze alloy of 5%
tin and 95% copper, what fraction,
by weight, of the combined bronze
alloy is tin?

A) 5/48

B) 9/80

C) 1/8

D) 1/4

(Medium) The combined alloy will

weigh 50 kg + 70 kg = 120 kg. The
total weight of the tin comes from
the two separate alloys: (0.20)(50)
+ (0.05)(70) = 10 + 3.5 = 13.5 kg.
Therefore the fraction of the
combined alloy that is tin is
13.5/120, which simplifies to 9/80.

Exercise Set 2 (Calculator)

If a train travels at a constant rate

of 50 miles per hour, how many
minutes will it take to travel 90
miles?

Two cars leave the same point

simultaneously, going in the same
direction along a straight, flat road,
one at 35 miles per hour and the
other at 50 miles per hour. After
how many minutes will the cars be
5 miles apart?

If a $6,000 contribution is divided

among charities A, B, and C in a
ratio of 8:5:2, respectively, how
much more, in dollars, does
charity A receive than charity C?

If a car traveling at 60 mph is

chasing a car travelling at 50 mph
and is ¼ mile behind, how many
minutes will it take the first car to
catch the second?

A truck”s gas tank can hold 18

gallons. If the tank is 2/3 full and
the truck travels for 4 hours at 60
miles per hour until it runs out of
gas, what is the efficiency of the
truck, in miles per gallon?

A motorcycle has a fuel efficiency

of 60 miles per gallon when it is
cruising at a speed of 50 miles per
hour. How many hours can it travel
at 50 miles per hour on a full tank
of gas, if its tank can hold 10
gallons?

If the ratio of a to b is 3 to 4, and

the ratio of a to c is 5 to 2, what is
the ratio of b to c?

A) 3 to 10

B) 3 to 5

C) 5 to 3

D) 10 to 3

A paint mixture consists of a

3:2:11 ratio of red, violet, and
white, respectively. How many
ounces of violet are needed to
make 256 ounces of this mixture?

A) 32

B) 36

C) 46

D) 48

A pool that holds 20,000 gallons is

¼ full. A pump can deliver

g gallons of water every m

minutes. If the pumping company
charges d dollars per minute, how
much will it cost, in dollars, to fill
the pool?

A)

B)