Multiple Figures

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SAT geometry questions mention basic shapes such as squares and cubes or circles and spheres that are all around us in the natural world.  One sphere that people have always looked towards at night is the Moon.  Right now, people around the world are remembering the life of Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on the Moon.  Neil Armstrong is an excellent historical figure to mention in your SAT essay.  Review a few facts about the life of this famous man here.  See how Americans are responding to his death here.

8/28 Geometry: Multiple Figures

Read the following SAT test question and then select the correct answer.

Geometry questions often require you to add labels to a diagram, so you must be especially careful to note exactly which information you are given when you read the question.  As always, make a note of the bottom line, assess your options for efficiently solving the problem, attack the problem, and loop back to make sure that you have answered the bottom line.  Writing what you know neatly will often help you see new ways to work with the shapes you are given.



In the figure above, O is the center of the circle and  is equilateral. If the sides of  are of length 6, what is the length of ?

Geometry problems can be difficult if you are not sure how to attack the problem.  Think of these kinds of problems as puzzles; use the pieces of information and the rules that come to your mind.  There are multiple ways of arriving at the correct answer, but this is one of the fastest ways to get there.

The first information that you are given is about an equilateral triangle (Triangle ABO).  Identify the equilateral triangle and label all of the interior angles 60̊°.  All equilateral triangles only have angles of 60°.  You are also given the information that the sides of this triangle have a length of 6.  Label all the sides of this triangle as well.

Now look at the information a little differently.  The two triangles inscribed on the circle form a single larger triangle.  You labeled the length of one side as 6 (Side AB).  Look at Side AC.  Line AO forms the radius of the circle, as does Line OC, so both must be the same length.  Your total length of Side AC must be 12.

Here is a rule you should memorize: any triangle that has the diameter of a circle as one of its sides will be a right triangle.  The diameter forms the hypotenuse, so the opposite angle (in this case Angle B) must be 90°.  Once you know two sides of any right triangle, you can find the third.  Before you pull out the Pythagorean Theorem, notice that Triangle ABC is a special triangle.  Angle A is 60° and Angle B is 90°, so Angle C must be 30°.  For any 30-60-90 triangle, the corresponding sides will be x, x√3, and 2x.  In this case, your x = 6 and your 2x = 12, so what is the missing side?  Label the missing side 6√3 and look up at the question to see whether you have found your bottom line.  Then match your answer to the answer choices.

(A) 3√3
(B) 4√3
(C) 6√3
(D) 9
(E) 12

The correct answer is (C).

On sat.collegeboard.org, 53% of the responses were correct.

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