THE MATH FORMULAS YOU SHOULD

MEMORIZE FOR THE SAT (MARCH 2016)

This report is copyright 2015 with all rights reserved. It is illegal to copy, distribute, or create
derivative works from this book in whole or in part or to contribute to the copying, distribution, or
creating of derivative works of this book.

I frequently get asked about the key math formulas that students really need to know for the SAT. I
have finally updated the list of the most important formulas that students should memorize for the
revised SAT beginning March 2016. Everything you need to know on this subject is below.

(1) Let’s begin with the geometry formulas that are given to you in the beginning of each SAT math
section. Memorize these. Here they are.

(2) In addition to the geometry formulas that are given, you should also know the following basic
geometry formulas:

Perimeter of a rectangle: 𝑃 = 2l + 2𝑤

Perimeter of a square: 𝑃 = 4𝑠 Area of a square: 𝐴 = 𝑠 2

Let’s look at an example:
A square has an area of 25 square centimeters. What is the length of a side, in centimeters, of the square?
We are given that 𝑠 2 = 25. It follows that 𝑠 = 𝟓.

(3) The following simple formula will make it very easy for you to solve problems involving Percent
Change:

𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒
𝑃𝑒𝑟𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 = × 100
𝑂𝑟𝑖𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑙
Note that this formula works both for problems involving percent increase and problems involving
percent decrease.

Let’s look at a simple example:

Suppose that 𝑥 increases from 8 to 9. By what percent does 𝑥 increase?

Well, the Original value is 8, and the Change is 9 − 8 = 1. Therefore we have

1
𝑷𝒆𝒓𝒄𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝑪𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆 = 8 × 100 = 12.5.

So 𝑥 increases by 𝟏𝟐. 𝟓%.

(4) The average (arithmetic mean) of a set of numbers is the sum of the numbers in the set divided by
the quantity of the numbers in the set.

𝑆𝑢𝑚
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 =
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟
The median of a set of numbers is the middle number when the numbers are arranged in increasing
order. If the total number of values in the set is even, then the median is the average (arithmetic mean)
of the two middle values.
The mode of a set of numbers is the number that occurs most frequently. There can be more than one
mode if more than one number occurs with the greatest frequency.
The range of a set of numbers is the positive difference between the largest and smallest number in the
set.

Let’s look at an example.

The graph below shows the frequency distribution of a list of randomly generated integers between 0
and 6. Find the arithmetic mean, median, mode, and range of the list of numbers.

A complete list of the data is 0, 0, 0, 1, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6

3⋅0+1⋅1+0⋅2+4⋅3+2⋅4+3⋅5+2⋅6 1+12+8+15+12 48
The arithmetic mean is = = 15 = 𝟑. 𝟐.
3+1+4+2+3+2 15

The median and mode are both 3.

The range is 6 − 0 = 𝟔.

(5) The simple probability principle says that to compute a simple probability where all outcomes are
equally likely, divide the number of “successes” by the total number of outcomes.
For example, let’s suppose that a number is chosen at random from the randomly generated integers in
the last example. Let’s compute the probability of choosing an even number.

The successes are 0, 0, 0, 4, 4, 6, 6. So the number of successes is 7.

The total is 15.

So the desired probability is 𝟕/𝟏𝟓.

Note: Technically we can argue that in this example the outcomes are not equally likely. For example,
3 1 1
the probability of selecting a 0 is15 = 5, whereas the probability of selecting a 1 is 15.

It’s easy to simulate the simple probability principle however by listing each number with the
frequency that it occurs.

(6) To change an average to a sum, use the following formula.

𝑆𝑢𝑚 = 𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 × 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟

This formula can often be used to save a lot of time on statistics questions of all difficulty levels.

Let’s look at a simple example.

The average (arithmetic mean) of five numbers is 20. When a sixth number is added, the average of
the six numbers is 30. What is the sixth number?

Well, the sum of the five numbers is 20 · 5 = 100.

The sum of the six numbers is 30 · 6 = 180.

The sixth number is 180 − 100 = 80.

(7) The distributive property says that for all real numbers 𝑎, 𝑏, and 𝑐

𝑎(𝑏 + 𝑐) = 𝑎𝑏 + 𝑎𝑐
As an example, let’s use the distributive property to expand the following expressions:
(1) 2(𝑥 + 1) (2) 𝑥(𝑦 − 3) (3) −(𝑥 − 𝑦)
Solutions: (1) 2(𝑥 + 1) = 2𝑥 + 2
(2) 𝑥(𝑦 − 3) = 𝑥𝑦 − 3𝑥
(3) −(𝑥 − 𝑦) = −𝑥 + 𝑦
(8) You should know the following formula to compute the slope of a line on SAT math day.

𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 𝑦2 − 𝑦1
𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑝𝑒 = 𝑚 = =
𝑟𝑢𝑛 𝑥2 − 𝑥1
Here, (𝑥1 , 𝑦1 ) and (𝑥2 , 𝑦2 ) are any two points on the line, and 𝑚 stands for slope. Note that the
𝑦-coordinates are subtracted first in the numerator. A common error is to subtract the
𝑥-coordinates first.

Here is an example.

What is the slope of the line that passes through the two points (−1,3) and (2,5)?

Algebraic solution: We have

𝑦2 − 𝑦1 = 5 − 3 = 2, and 𝑥2 − 𝑥1 = 2 − (−1) = 2 + 1 = 3.

So 𝑚 = 𝟐/𝟑.

Geometric solution: To get from (−1, 3) to (2,5) we move up 2, right 3. So 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑒 = 2 and 𝑟𝑢𝑛 = 3.
Therefore, 𝑚 = 𝟐/𝟑.

Remark: To get a better understanding of the geometric solution it may be helpful to plot the two
points, and visually observe how you would move up, then right to get from the first point to the
second point.
(9) In addition to the slope formula, you should know the slope-intercept form of an equation of a
line.

𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏
Here, as usual, 𝑚 is the slope of the line, and 𝑏 is the 𝑦-coordinate of the 𝑦-intercept of the line.

In other words, the point (0, 𝑏) is on the line. 𝑏 is where the line hits the 𝑦-axis.

As an example, let’s write an equation of the line that has a slope of 3 and passes through the point
(0, −5).

We are given that 𝑚 = 3, and 𝑏 = −5. Thus, the equation of the line in slope-intercept form is

𝑦 = 3𝑥 − 5.

As a special case of the equation 𝑦 = 𝑚𝑥 + 𝑏, note that a horizontal line has an equation of the form

𝑦=𝑏
This is because the slope of a horizontal line is 0.

For example, the horizontal line passing through the point (5, 3) has equation 𝒚 = 𝟑.

You should also know that a vertical line has an equation of the form

𝑥=𝑎
Note that a vertical line has no slope, and therefore cannot be written in slope-intercept form.

For example, the vertical line passing through the point (5, 3) has equation 𝒙 = 𝟓.

Lines with positive slope have graphs that go upwards from left to right. Lines with negative slope
have graphs that go downwards from left to right. If the slope of a line is zero, it is horizontal. Vertical
lines have no slope (also known as infinite slope or undefined slope).

You should also know the following two facts:

Parallel lines have the same slope.

Perpendicular lines have slopes that are negative reciprocals of each other.

(10) You should know how to classify scatterplots on the SAT:

The following scatterplots show positive associations.

The scatterplot on the left shows a linear positive association, whereas the scatterplot on the right
shows a nonlinear positive association. The rightmost scatterplot looks like it might show an
exponential positive association.
Here are a few more scatterplots.

The leftmost scatterplot shows a nonlinear (possibly exponential) negative association, whereas the
other two show no association.
(11) Parallel lines cut by a tranversal:

The figure above shows two parallel lines cut by the transversal l.
Angles 1, 4, 5, and 8 all have the same measure. Also, angles 2, 3, 6, and 7 all have the same measure.
Any two angles that do not have the same measure are supplementary, that is their measures add to
180°.
(12) Two triangles are similar if their angles are congruent.

Note that similar triangles do not have to be the same size.

Also note that to show that two triangles are similar we need only show that two pairs of angles are
congruent. We get the third pair for free because all triangles have angle measures summing to 180
degrees.

Here is an example:
In the figure above, assume that 𝐵𝐶̅̅̅̅ is parallel to ̅̅̅̅
𝐷𝐸 . It then follows that angles 𝐴𝐷𝐸 and 𝐴𝐵𝐶 are
congruent (alternate interior angles). Since triangles 𝐴𝐷𝐸 and 𝐴𝐵𝐶 share angle 𝐴, the two triangles are
similar.
Important Fact: Corresponding sides of similar triangles are in proportion.
𝐴𝐷 𝐷𝐸
So for example, in the figure above, 𝐴𝐵 = 𝐵𝐶 .

(13) Basic trigonometry of a right triangle:

Let’s consider the following right triangle, and let’s focus our attention on angle 𝐴.

Note that the hypotenuse is ALWAYS the side opposite the right angle.
The other two sides of the right triangle, called the legs, depend on which angle is chosen. In this
picture we chose to focus on angle 𝐴. Therefore the opposite side is 𝐵𝐶, and the adjacent side is 𝐴𝐶.
It’s worth memorizing how to compute the three basic trig functions:
OPP ADJ OPP
sin A = HYP cos A = HYP tan A = ADJ

Let’s do a specific example.

Compute the three basic trig functions for each of the angles (except the right angle) in the triangle
below.

12 5 12
sin 𝑃 = 13 cos 𝑃 = 13 tan 𝑃 = 5
5 12 5
sin 𝑅 = 13 cos 𝑅 = 13 tan 𝑅 = 12
(14) The cofunction identities are very useful on the SAT:

𝐬𝐢𝐧(𝟗𝟎° − 𝒙) = 𝐜𝐨𝐬 𝒙 𝐜𝐨𝐬(𝟗𝟎° − 𝒙) = 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝒙

Here is an example:
3
In a right triangle, one angle measures 𝑥°, where sin 𝑥° = 5. What is cos((90 − 𝑥)°)?

cos((90 − 𝑥)°) = sin 𝑥° = 𝟑/𝟓.

(15) A complex number has the form 𝑎 + 𝑏𝑖 where 𝑎 and 𝑏 are real numbers and 𝑖 = √−1.
Examples: The following are complex numbers:
3 3
2 + 3𝑖 + (−2𝑖) = − 2𝑖 −𝜋 + 2.6𝑖 √−9 = 3𝑖
2 2

0 + 5𝑖 = 5𝑖 This is called a pure imaginary number.

17 + 0𝑖 = 17 This is called a real number.
0 + 0𝑖 = 0 This is zero.

(16) Addition and subtraction of complex numbers: We add two complex numbers simply by
adding their real parts, and then adding their imaginary parts.

(𝑎 + 𝑏𝑖) + (𝑐 + 𝑑𝑖) = (𝑎 + 𝑐) + (𝑏 + 𝑑)𝑖

(17) Multiplication: We can multiply two complex numbers by formally taking the product of two
binomials and then replacing 𝑖 2 by −1.

(𝑎 + 𝑏𝑖)(𝑐 + 𝑑𝑖) = (𝑎𝑐 − 𝑏𝑑) + (𝑎𝑑 + 𝑏𝑐)𝑖

(18) The conjugate of the complex number 𝑎 + 𝑏𝑖 is the complex number 𝑎 − 𝑏𝑖.

The conjugate of −5 + 6𝑖 is −5 − 6𝑖.

Note that when we multiply conjugates together we always get a real number. In fact, we have

(𝑎 + 𝑏𝑖)(𝑎 − 𝑏𝑖) = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2

(19) One last formula that every student should know.

𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 = 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒 × 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒

As a simple example, if you drive your car at a speed of 30 miles per hour for 5 hours, then you will
travel (30)(5) = 𝟏𝟓𝟎 miles.

For many students, that should be sufficient. In fact, if you are currently scoring below a 500 in SAT
math, then please stop here. There is no need to bog yourself down with these last few formulas.
For those of you that are going for an 800, let us look at a some more advanced formulas.

Advanced Formulas
(20) In addition to the simple formula distance = rate × time, the more advanced student might want to
memorize the Harmonic Mean Formula.

2(𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 1)(𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 2)
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 =
𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 1 + 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 2
This formula can be used to find the average speed when 2 individual speeds for the same distance are
known. Here is an example.

Dr. Steve drove to work at an average speed of 40 miles per hour, and home from work at an average
speed of 60 miles per hour. What was his average speed for the entire round trip, in miles per hour?

We simply plug in the given numbers into the Harmonic Mean Formula.

2(40)(60)
𝐴𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑔𝑒 𝑆𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑑 = = 𝟒𝟖.
40+60

Important note: Your intuition might tell you that the answer to this question should be 50 miles per
hour. In this case, however, we need to compute the Harmonic Mean, and not the Arithmetic
Mean.

(21) The triangle rule states that

𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑑 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑎 𝑡𝑟𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑛

𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑑𝑖𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑢𝑚 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑡ℎ𝑠 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑠
This is a very simple rule which is often not taught in the classroom. Triangle rule problems tend to be
Level 4 or 5 even though they are usually quite easy. I attribute this to the fact that many students
simply have never learned this rule. Here is a simple example.

If 𝑥 is an integer, how many different triangles are there with sides of length 2, 6 and 𝑥?

6 − 2 = 4, and 6 + 2 = 8. By the triangle rule, 4 < 𝑥 < 8. Since 𝑥 must be an integer, 𝑥 can be 5, 6,
or 7. So the answer is Three.

(22) The advanced student may also want to know the Generalized Pythagorean Theorem.

𝑑 2 = 𝑎2 + 𝑏 2 + 𝑐 2
This simple formula is used to find the length of the long diagonal of a rectangular solid. Here is a
straightforward example.

If a box has a length of 3 feet, a width of 4 feet, and height of 12 feet, what is the longest distance from
one corner of the box to another corner of the box?

The question is asking for the length of the long diagonal of the box. We just plug the numbers into the
formula for the Generalized Pythagorean Theorem.

𝑑 2 = 32 + 42 + 122 = 169.

So d = 13.

(23) The general form for a quadratic function is

𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐
The graph of this function is a parabola whose vertex has x-coordinate

𝑏
−
2𝑎
The parabola opens upwards if 𝑎 > 0 and downwards if 𝑎 < 0.

Here is an example.

Let the function 𝑓 be defined by 𝑓(𝑥) = −2𝑥 2 − 3𝑥 + 2. For what value of 𝑥 will the
function 𝑓 have its maximum value?

The graph of this function is a downward facing parabola, and we see that a = -2, and b = -3. So the x-
coordinate of the vertex is x = 3/(-4) = -3/4.

(24) The standard form for a quadratic function is

𝑦 − 𝑘 = 𝑎(𝑥 − ℎ)2

The graph is a parabola with vertex at (𝒉, 𝒌). Again, the parabola opens upwards if 𝑎 > 0 and
downwards if 𝑎 < 0.

Here is an example.

Let the function 𝑓 be defined by 𝑓(𝑥 ) = 3(𝑥 − 1)2 + 2. For what value of x will the
function 𝑓 have its minimum value?

The graph of this function is an upward facing parabola with vertex (1,2). Therefore, the answer is 1.
Remark: Note that in this example 𝑘 = 2, and it is on the right hand side of the equation instead of on
the left.

(25) The total number of degrees in the interior of an n-sided polygon is

(𝑛 − 2) × 180
For example, an eight-sided polygon (or octagon) has

(8 − 2) · 180 = 6 · 180 = 𝟏𝟎𝟖𝟎 degrees

in its interior. Therefore each angle of a regular octagon has

1080
= 𝟏𝟑𝟓 degrees.
8

Remark: A regular polygon is a polygon with all sides equal in length, and all angles equal in
measure.

(26) In addition to the formula 𝐴 = 𝑠 2 for finding the area of a square, the more advanced student
might want to also memorize the formula:

𝑑2
Area of a square: 𝐴 =
2

In this formula, 𝑑 is the length of a diagonal of the square.

Let’s look at an example:
A square has an area of 18 square meters. What is the length of a diagonal, in meters, of the square?
𝑑2
We are given that = 18. It follows that 𝑑2 = 18 ⋅ 2 = 36, and so 𝑑 = 𝟔 meters.
2

(27) In some advanced geometry problems you may need to find the area of an equilateral triangle.
This can be done by splitting the triangle into two 30, 60, 90 triangles. To save time however you may
want to memorize the following area formula:

𝑠 2 √3
Area of an equilateral triangle: 𝐴 =
4

Let’s look at an example:

Find the area of an equilateral triangle with side length 2 inches.
22 √3 4√3
𝐴= = = √𝟑 square inches.
4 4

(28) This next formula sometimes comes in handy when dealing with sets. If you have a set
with 𝑋 objects and another set with 𝑌 objects, then the total number of objects is
 𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 = 𝑋 + 𝑌 − 𝐵𝑜𝑡ℎ + 𝑁𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟
Let’s look at a simple example.

There are 30 students in a music class. Of these students, 10 play the piano, 15 play the guitar, and 3
play both the piano and the guitar. How many students in the class do not play either of these two
instruments?

Substituting these numbers into the formula, we have

30 = 10 + 15 − 3 + 𝑁.

So, 𝑁 = 30 − 22 = 𝟖.

(29) Many students get confused when counting the number of consecutive integers in a list.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑔𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑎 𝑡𝑜 𝑏, 𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒, 𝑖𝑠 𝑏 − 𝑎 + 1

Remark: The word “inclusive” means that we are including the endpoints a and b.

For example, the number of integers from 2 to 7 is 7 − 2 + 1 = 𝟔.

This can be easily verified with the list 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.

Here is an example that would be harder to verify.

The number of integers from 62 to 512 is 512 − 62 + 1 = 𝟒𝟓𝟏.

(30) The point-slope form of an equation of a line is

𝑦 − 𝑦0 = 𝑚(𝑥 − 𝑥0 )
Here 𝒎 is the slope of the line and (𝒙𝟎, 𝒚𝟎 ) is any point on the line.
As an example, let’s write an equation of the line that has a slope of 2 and passes through the point
(1, −4).
We are given that 𝑚 = 2, 𝑥0 = 1 and 𝑦0 = −4. Thus, the equation of the line in slope-intercept form
is

𝑦 + 4 = 2(𝑥 − 1).
(31) The general form of an equation of a line is
𝒂𝒙 + 𝒃𝒚 = 𝒄
𝑎
Here 𝒂 and 𝒃 are real numbers, and if 𝑏 ≠ 0, then the slope of this line is 𝑚 = − 𝑏. If 𝑏 = 0, then the
line is vertical and has no slope.
Let us consider 2 such equations.
 𝒂𝒙 + 𝒃𝒚 = 𝒄
𝒅𝒙 + 𝒆𝒚 = 𝒇
(i) If there is a number 𝑟 such that 𝑟𝑎 = 𝑑, 𝑟𝑏 = 𝑒, and 𝑟𝑐 = 𝑓, then the two equations represent the
𝑎 𝑏 𝑐
same line. Equivalently, the two equations represent the same line if 𝑑 = 𝑒 = 𝑓. In this case the system
of equations has infinitely many solutions.
(ii) If there is a number 𝑟 such that 𝑟𝑎 = 𝑑, 𝑟𝑏 = 𝑒, but 𝑟𝑐 ≠ 𝑓, then the two equations represent
𝑎
parallel but distinct lines. Equivalently, the two equations represent parallel but distinct lines if 𝑑 =
𝑏 𝑐
≠ 𝑓. In this case the system of equations has no solution.
𝑒

𝑎 𝑏
(iii) Otherwise the two lines intersect in a single point. In this case 𝑑 ≠ 𝑒 , and the system of equations
has a unique solution.
These three cases are illustrated in the figure below.

Example: The following two equations represent the same line.

𝟐𝒙 + 𝟖𝒚 = 𝟔
𝟑𝒙 + 𝟏𝟐𝒚 = 𝟗
2 8 6 3 3 3
To see this note that = 12 = 9 .(or equivalently, let 𝑟 = 2 and note that (2) (2) = 3, (2) (8) = 12,
3
3
and (2) (6) = 9).

The following two equations represent parallel but distinct lines.

𝟐𝒙 + 𝟖𝒚 = 𝟔
𝟑𝒙 + 𝟏𝟐𝒚 = 𝟏𝟎
2 8 6
This time 3 = 12 ≠ 10 .

The following two equations represent a pair of intersecting lines.

𝟐𝒙 + 𝟖𝒚 = 𝟔
𝟑𝒙 + 𝟏𝟎𝒚 = 𝟗
2 8
This time 3 ≠ 10 .

(32) We can convert between degree measure and radian measure by using the following simple ratio:
 degree measure radian measure
=
180° 𝜋
Example 1: Convert 45° to radians.
45° 𝑥 45𝜋 𝝅
=𝜋⇒𝑥= = radians.
180° 180 𝟒
𝜋
Shortcut: We can convert from degrees to radians by multiplying the given angle by 180.
𝜋
Example 2: Convert 6 radians to degrees.
𝑥° 𝜋/6 180
= ⇒𝑥= = 𝟑𝟎°.
180° 𝜋 6

180
Shortcut: We can convert from radians to degrees by multiplying the given angle by .
𝜋

If the angle has 𝜋 in the numerator, we can simply replace 𝜋 by 180.

(33) If 𝒓 and 𝒔 are the roots of the quadratic equation 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒃𝒙 + 𝒄 = 𝟎. Then

𝑏 = −(𝑟 + 𝑠) and 𝑐 = 𝑟𝑠
What is the sum of all values of 𝑘 that satisfy 𝑘 2 − 13𝑘 + 7 = 0 ?
We are being asked to find the sum of the roots of the quadratic equation. This is 𝟏𝟑.
(34) If you know the following special factoring formulas you can save some time on some advanced
questions:
(𝒙 + 𝒚)𝟐 = 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒚𝟐 + 𝟐𝒙𝒚
(𝒙 − 𝒚)𝟐 = 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒚𝟐 − 𝟐𝒙𝒚
(𝒙 + 𝒚)(𝒙 − 𝒚) = 𝒙𝟐 − 𝒚𝟐
If 𝑐 > 0, 𝑠 2 + 𝑡 2 = c, and 𝑠𝑡 = 𝑐 + 5, what is (𝑠 + 𝑡)2 in terms of 𝑐 ?
(𝑠 + 𝑡)2 = 𝑠 2 + 𝑡 2 + 2𝑠𝑡 = 𝑐 + 2(𝑐 + 5) = 𝑐 + 2𝑐 + 10 = 𝟑𝒄 + 𝟏𝟎 .
(35) Let 𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥), and 𝑘 > 0. We can move the graph of 𝑓 around by applying the following basic
transformations.

𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥 ) + 𝑘 shift up 𝑘 units

𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥 ) − 𝑘 shift down 𝑘 units
𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥 − 𝑘) shift right 𝑘 units
𝑦 = 𝑓(𝑥 + 𝑘) shift left 𝑘 units
𝑦 = −𝑓(𝑥 ) reflect in 𝑥-axis
𝑦 = 𝑓(−𝑥 ) reflect in 𝑦-axis.
Let 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑥 2 . If you move the graph of 𝑓 right 3 units and down 2 units
you get the graph of the function 𝑔. What is the definition of 𝑔?
We have 𝑔(𝑥) = (𝑥 − 3)2 − 2.
(36) The square root property says that if 𝑥 2 = 𝑎2 , then 𝑥 = ±𝑎.
For example, the equation 𝑥 2 = 9 has the two solutions 𝑥 = 3 and 𝑥 = −3.
(37) If 𝑎𝑥 2 + 𝑏𝑥 + 𝑐 = 0, then we can find 𝑥 by using the quadratic formula:

−𝑏 ± √𝑏 2 − 4𝑎𝑐
𝑥=
2𝑎
Solve for 𝑥 using the quadratic formula: 𝑥 2 − 2𝑥 − 15 = 0
We identify 𝑎 = 1, 𝑏 = −2, and 𝑐 = −15.
−𝒃±√𝒃𝟐 −𝟒𝒂𝒄 𝟐±√𝟒+𝟔𝟎 𝟐±√𝟔𝟒 𝟐±𝟖
𝒙= = = = = 𝟏 ± 𝟒.
𝟐𝒂 𝟐 𝟐 𝟐
So we get 𝑥 = 1 + 4 = 5 or 𝑥 = 1 − 4 = −3. Since we want the positive solution for 𝑥, the answer is
𝟓.
(38) The standard form for the equation of a circle is

(𝑥 − ℎ)2 + (𝑦 − 𝑘)2 = 𝑟 2 .
The graph is a circle with center at (𝒉, 𝒌) and radius 𝒓.
Find the center and radius of the circle with equation (𝑥 − 1)2 + (𝑦 + 2)2 = 3
We have ℎ = 1 and 𝑘 = −2. So the center of the circle is (𝟏, −𝟐). The radius is 𝑟 = √𝟑.
Remark: Note that in this example (𝑦 + 2) = (𝑦 − (−2)). This is why 𝑘 = −2 instead of 2.
(39) The general form for the equation of a circle is

𝑥 2 + 𝑦 2 + 𝑎𝑥 + 𝑏𝑦 + 𝑐 = 0.
We will usually want to apply the method of completing the square twice in order to change the
equation into standard form.

In the standard (𝑥, 𝑦) coordinate plane, what are the coordinates of the center of the circle whose
equation is 𝑥 2 − 8𝑥 + 𝑦 2 + 10𝑦 + 15 = 0 ?
𝑥 2 − 8𝑥 = 𝑥 2 − 8𝑥 + 16 − 16 = (𝑥 − 4)2 − 16.
𝑦 2 + 10𝑦 = 𝑦 2 + 10𝑦 + 25 − 25 = (𝑦 + 5)2 − 25.
So 𝑥 2 − 8𝑥 + 𝑦 2 + 10𝑦 + 15 = (𝑥 − 4)2 − 16 + (𝑦 + 5)2 − 25 + 15 = (𝑥 − 4)2 + (𝑦 + 5)2 − 26.
So the center of the circle is (4, −5), choice (B).
(40) The factor theorem says that 𝑟 is a root of the polynomial 𝑝(𝑥) if and only if 𝑥 − 𝑟 is a factor of
the polynomial.
Consider the polynomial 𝑝(𝑥) = 3𝑥 4 − 2𝑥 3 + 7𝑥 2 − 8. Since 𝑝(1) = 0, 𝑥 − 1 is a factor of 𝑝(𝑥).
(41) The remainder theorem says that 𝑝(𝑟) = 𝑎 if and only if the remainder when 𝑝(𝑥) is divided by
𝑥 − 𝑟 is 𝑎.
Note: The factor theorem is the special case of the remainder theorem when 𝑎 = 0.
Consider the polynomial 𝑝(𝑥) = 3𝑥 2 − 𝑥 + 5. Since 𝑝(1) = 7, the remainder when 𝑝(𝑥) is divided by
𝑥 − 1 is 7.
(42) A general exponential function has the form 𝑓(𝑡) = 𝑎 ⋅ (1 + 𝑟)𝑐𝑡 , where 𝑎 = 𝑓(0) is the initial
amount and 𝑟 is the growth rate. If 𝑟 > 0, then we have exponential growth and if 𝑟 < 0 we have
exponential decay.
Examples: (1) The exponential function 𝑓(𝑡) = 300(2)𝑡 can be used to model a population with a
growth rate of 1 = 100% each year that begins with 300 specimens. The growth rate of 100% tells us
that the population doubles each year.
(2) The exponential function 𝑓(𝑡) = 50(3)2𝑡 can be used to model a population with a growth rate of
2 = 200% every 6 months that begins with 50 specimens. The growth rate of 200% tells us that the
1
population triples. Since 𝑐 = 2, the tripling occurs every 2 year or 6 months.
𝑡
(3) The exponential function 𝑓(𝑡) = 120(. 75)3 can be used to model a substance which is decaying
at a rate of 1 − .75 = .25 = 25% every 3 years. The initial amount of the substance might be 120
1
grams. Since 𝑐 = 3, the 25% decay occurs every 3 years.

(4) A quantity that continually doubles over a fixed time period can be modeled by the exponential
𝑡
function 𝑓(𝑡) = 𝑐(2)𝑑 where 𝑐 is the quantity at time 𝑡 = 0, and 𝑑 is the doubling time in years.

SAT MATH DIAGNOSTIC EXAM