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# Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2)

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Senior Manager
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Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2) [#permalink]  05 Nov 2017, 01:29
00:00

Question Stats:

50% (00:08) correct 50% (00:33) wrong based on 20 sessions
 Quantity A Quantity B 3 $$\sqrt{16}$$

A. The quantity in Column A is greater
B. The quantity in Column B is greater
C. The two quantities are equal
D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given

Kudos for correct solution.
[Reveal] Spoiler: OA
Director
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Kudos [?]: 327 [0], given: 66

Re: Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2) [#permalink]  05 Nov 2017, 02:56
Square root of 16 is equal to 4, thus quantity B equal 4 > 3, quantity A.

Intern
Joined: 09 Nov 2017
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Kudos [?]: 0 [0], given: 1

Re: Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2) [#permalink]  09 Nov 2017, 14:33
Surely quantity B could be -4, therefore making D the correct answer?
Director
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Re: Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2) [#permalink]  12 Nov 2017, 10:05
Surely quantity B could be -4, therefore making D the correct answer?

This is not true. A square root can never be negative, thus the only answer is 4. To be precise $$\sqrt{16} = |4|$$, so 4 is always positive.

Anyway you can solve the question by applying squares to both sides in order to get quantity A equal to 9 and quantity B equal to 16. Answer B is still right.
Intern
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Re: Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2) [#permalink]  17 Nov 2017, 10:11
Number is already in the square root number so the number will always be positive when taken out from the root.
Director
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Kudos [?]: 464 [0], given: 82

Re: Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2) [#permalink]  30 Jan 2018, 23:48
Bunuel wrote:
 Quantity A Quantity B 3 $$\sqrt{16}$$

A. The quantity in Column A is greater
B. The quantity in Column B is greater
C. The two quantities are equal
D. The relationship cannot be determined from the information given

Kudos for correct solution.

In the GRE when a number is under the square root in the question itself such as the one given above always take the +ve square root but if the question is such that there is no square root symbol and during the process you have to come up with a root then the root could be +ve and -ve
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This is my response to the question and may be incorrect. Feel free to rectify any mistakes

GRE Instructor
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Kudos [?]: 1053 [0], given: 6

Re: Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2) [#permalink]  31 Jan 2018, 09:12
Expert's post
Surely quantity B could be -4, therefore making D the correct answer?

Many students will answer this question incorrectly because they believe that the square root of a number can be negative.
For example, some students believe that √36 = 6 or -6
However, this is not the case. The square root notation (√) tells us to identify the POSITIVE value that, when squared, equals 36

Cheers,
Brent
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Brent Hanneson – Creator of greenlighttestprep.com

Manager
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Re: Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2) [#permalink]  18 Feb 2018, 06:25
How is the answer A? The square root of 16 has two solutions: -4 and 4. So isn't the answer D? I'm really confused with this question.
Re: Which is greater: 3 or 16^(1/2)   [#permalink] 18 Feb 2018, 06:25
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