Tag Archives: lines

SAT Question of the Day Explained – March 26, 2014 – Math, Linear Equations

Today’s SAT question of the day is a math question about graphing lines.  Pay attention, because I have seen this type of question too many times to count!

The question asks us for the equation of a line that is parallel to the x-axis and 4 units above the x-axis.  All of the answer choices are x = an integer or y = an integer.

First, let’s figure out if this line is “x = something” or “y = something”. Continue reading

ACT Question of the Day Explained – February 19, 2014 – Algebra, Linear Equations

Today’s ACT question of the day is secretly asking if you know the meaning of y = mx + b.  We have to figure out which graph looks like y = 3x +1. Yes, you could graph that on your calculator, but if your graph’s scale doesn’t match the scale of the graphs in the test booklet, you might not find the answer that way. Continue reading

SAT Question of the Day Explained – January 25, 2014 – Math, Functions, Slope

Today’s SAT question of the day is a math question about function notation (the way functions are written).  This question is rated medium difficulty…maybe it’s just my years of tutoring talking, but I thought it was more like mega-easy (I solved it in less than10 seconds).

A function is just a relationship between values, right?  When x changes, y consistently changes in a related way.  And functions are written in a special format:

f(x) = ……

which means that “f of x”, or the function relating to x, is whatever appears on the other side of that equal sign.

This question also asks us about slope, so let’s think of what we know about slope: Continue reading