MCQsLearnSAT

Advanced Math · Absolute Value Equations

SAT Absolute Value Equations Practice Questions (Free + Explanations) | Quiz 9

Question 12345 of 5

Question 1 of 5

Which expression is equivalent to the solution set of the equation ?

Explanation

For an equation of the form , the expression inside the absolute value can be either or . So solve the two equations and . From , add 6 to get , so . From , add 6 to get , so . Therefore, the equivalent expression for the solution set is or .

Concept summary

To solve where , set the inside expression equal to both and , then solve each equation.

Question 2 of 5

On the coordinate plane, the graph of an equation is a V-shape with vertex at . One branch passes through the point . Which equation could define this graph?

Explanation

An absolute value graph in vertex form is , where the vertex is . Since the vertex is , the equation must have the form . That narrows the choices to A. To confirm, use the point :

So , which gives . Therefore the equation is .

Concept summary

For an absolute value graph, has vertex . After identifying the vertex from the graph, use another point to solve for the vertical stretch factor .

Question 3 of 5

For real numbers and , the system

is satisfied. What is the value of ?

Explanation

From , write . Substitute into :

This gives two cases:

Case 1: , so and then . Thus, .
Case 2: , so and then . Thus, .
In both cases, the product is , so the correct answer is .

Concept summary

To solve a system with an absolute value equation, rewrite one variable if helpful and then split the absolute value into two linear cases. Check both cases, since both can produce valid solutions.

Question 4 of 5

A scientist models the deviation of a sensor reading from its target by the equation , where is time in seconds and is the deviation. A table of observed data is shown below.

Which additional time value would produce the same deviation as at ?

Explanation

At , the deviation is . To find another time with the same deviation, solve . Subtract 1 from both sides: . This gives two solutions: or , so or . Since the question asks for an additional time value, the answer is .

Concept summary

For absolute value equations, the same output can come from two inputs that are the same distance from the center value. In , inputs equally far from give the same -value.

Question 5 of 5

A park is built in the shape of a square centered at the origin of the -plane, with sides parallel to the axes. A walkway is planned along the line . The walkway will begin where this line enters the park and end where it leaves the park, so its length is the horizontal distance across the square at . If the boundary of the park is represented by the equation , what is the length of the walkway?

Explanation

The equation represents a square centered at the origin, but its sides are not parallel to the axes; instead, its vertices are on the axes at , , , and . To find where the line meets the boundary, substitute into the equation:

So the two intersection points are and , giving points and . The walkway runs horizontally between these two points, so its length is the difference in the -coordinates:

Therefore, the length of the walkway is .

Concept summary

For equations involving absolute value in geometry, substitute the given coordinate condition and solve for all possible values. When a segment stretches between two symmetric points, its length is the difference between the extreme coordinates, not just one coordinate value.

Your results

0of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

500-550

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

1of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

500-550

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

2of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

600-650

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

3of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

600-650

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

4of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

700+

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice

Your results

5of 5 correct

Estimated SAT Math band

700+

Illustrative range from this short quiz—not an official College Board score.

Adaptive practice, weak-area review, and timed tests live in the MCQsLearn app—pick up where you left off on your phone.

More SAT Math practice