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XAT 2014 — QA & DI Question 14

Simple EquationsEasy

There are two squares S1 and S2 with areas 8 and 9 units, respectively. S1 is inscribed within S2, with one corner of S1 on each side of S2. The corners of the smaller square divides the sides of the bigger square into two segments, one of length ‘a’ and the other of length ‘b’, where, b > a. A possible value of ‘b/a’, is:

Answer & solution

Correct answer: &ge; 14 and < 17

  • A

    ≥ 5 and < 8

  • B

    ≥ 8 and < 11

  • C

    ≥ 11 and < 14

  • ≥ 14 and < 17

  • E

    > 17

Solution

​​​​​​​

a2+(3-a)2=8

2a2-6a+1=0

a=32±72

⇒ a = 0.18, b = (3 – a) = 2.82

∴ b/a = 15.66

Hence, option (d).

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XAT 2014 QA & DI Q14: There are two squares S 1 and S 2 with areas 8 and 9 units, respectively. S 1 is inscribed within S 2 , with o — Solution | TheCATExam