SOLID GEOMETRY

CUBOID: Let length=l, breadth=b and height=h units. Then,

Volume=(l*b*h) cubic units
Surface area=2(lb+bh+hl) squints
Length of longest diagonal =√ (l² + b² +h²).

CUBE: let each edge of a cube be of length ‘a’. Then,

Volume =a*a*a cubic units
Surface area =6(a*a) squints
Length of longest diagonal =√3 a.

CYLINDER: let radius of base= r &height =h Then,

Volume=3.14(r*r) h cubic units
Curved Surface area= 6(a*a)

CONE: Let radius of base=r & height = h. Then,

Slant height, l = sq root [(h*h)+(r*r)]
Volume = 1/3 [3.14*(r*r)*h]
Curved Surface area = 2*3.14*r*l sq. units

SRHERE: Let the radius of the sphere be ‘r’. Then,

Volume = 4/3 * 3.14 (r*r*r) cubic units
Surface area = 4*3.14*(r*r) sq. units

Without using a calculator, find the square root of 576. Most people will use a trial-
and-error approach, squaring a bunch of numbers until they hit upon the one that
works. A savvier approach is to use benchmarks to zero in on the answer:

102 100

152 225

202 400

252 625

302 900

576 is between 400 and 625, which means that its square root must be between 20
and 25. Since 576 ends in 6, the units digit of its square root must yield a 6 when
squared. What digit between 0 and 5 does so? Only 4 does (42 = 16). Therefore, the
square root of 576 must be 24. Let's try 289. This lies between 225 and 400,
therefore its square root must lie between 15 and 20. What digit between 5 and 10
yields a units digit of 9 when squared? Only 7 does (72 = 49). Therefore, the square
root of 289 must be 17.
Of course this method applies only when taking the root of a perfect square (i.e., the
square of an integer). But it can also help approximate roots. Let's try 873. This lies
between 625 and 900, therefore its root lies between 25 and 30. In fact, it is so close
to 900 that its root must be very close to 30. We can estimate its root to be
somewhere between 29 and 30. And if we use a calculator, we will find that its root
is approximately 29.5.

First, you need to recognize that expressions like can be treated as the
difference of two squares, since all even exponents can be considered squares (refer

to last week's tip for more details on this): .

Keeping this in mind, we can simplify an expression like by factoring the

numerator (top) as the difference of two squares:

Third, you need to recognize that you can use the factored form of the difference of

two squares to help simplify expressions like (since the GMAT frowns upon
radicals in denominators). Since the denominator contains the sum of two radicals,
we can multiply top and bottom by the complement ( ) to rid the

denominator of the radicals: .

As you prepare for the GMAT, look for opportunities to apply these tricks. If you
master them, you will save time and energy on test day.

For example, let's say we have an integer x. If we see (x)(x + 1), we know that this
is the product of x and the next integer up. But if we want to be slippery, we can
express this relationship as x2 + x. All we have done here is distribute the x, but now
it is not as clear that we are looking at the product of two consecutive integers.

If we multiply x by the integer just below it, we get (x - 1)(x). To make the
multiplication less obvious, we can distribute the x: x2 - x.

If we continue the pattern with (x - 1)(x)(x + 1), we know we have three

consecutive integers. But, again, if we want to be slippery, we can distribute: (x2 - x)
(x + 1) = x3 + x2 - x2 - x = x3 - x. Now, x3 - x is considerably less recognizable as the
product of three consecutive integers.

What use does this have? On the GMAT, these relationships are often used to test
your understanding of the concept of odd and even. How? Consider x2 - x, where x is
an integer. This expression must be even. First, we can look at it as an odd integer
multiplied by an even integer (remember, all pairs of consecutive integers consist of
an even number and an odd number), which will always yield an even integer. Or we
can look at x itself: if x is even, then x2 - x is even minus even, which is even. If x is
odd, then x2 - x is odd minus odd, which is even. Skeptical? Take any two odd
numbers and subtract one from the other. The result will always be even.

Now, instead of consecutive integers, let's consider consecutive even or odd integers.
If we assume that x is even (or odd), the next even (or odd) integer will be x + 2.
We can represent their product as (x)(x + 2) or, less obviously, as x2 + 2x. In
contrast to x2 - x, we cannot tell whether x2 + 2x is even or odd. It depends on
whether x itself is even or odd. If x is even, x2 + 2x will be even. If x is odd, x2 + 2x
will be odd.