Tutor profile: Daniel P.

SAT Math: If 5x + 6 = 10 , what is the value of 10 + 3x ?

This is basic algebra: When answering SAT math questions, first ask yourself "What is is that I am looking for?". In this question we are looking for the value of 10x +3. In order to find this value we must first find the value of x. This can be done by using the given equation 5x + 6 = 10 and solving for the value of x and then substituting that value into the expression 10x+3. So, here we go: 5x+6=10 get the x term (5x) by itself by subtracting 6 from both sides of the equation: 5x+6 -6 = 10-6 5x = 4 now we must get x completely by itself by dividing both sides by 5: 5x/5 = 4/5 x = 4/5 now that we have defined x we can substitute it into the expression we are trying to find the value for: 10x + 3 10(4/5) + 3 40/5 + 3 8+3 11 ANSWER: 11

If two shorter sides of a right triangle are 4 and 7 what is the length of the longest side?

Before we answer this question let's take a look a few important things. First, the question states that we are dealing with a right triangle and we are also given the two legs of a triangle defined as 3 and 4. There are no units given so our answer will end with "units". Now, we must find the longest side of the right triangle. This can be done by using the Pythagorean Theorem which is defined as: c^2 = a^2 + b^2 a^2 and b^2 are the two shorter sides of a right triangle and c^2 is the longest side or the hypotenuse. So, let's plug in the information we are given: a^2 = 3 or 4 (we'll choose 3) b^2 = 3 or 4 (we'll choose 4) c^2 = longest side so, c^2 = 3^2 + 4^2 keep solving: c^2 = 9 + 16 c^2 = 25 square both sides: c = √25 c = 5 ANSWER: 5 units

What is cognitive dissonance?

In 1957, a researcher by the name of Leon Festinger proposed an idea which states that when one's belief of the world and his or herself are different then the person is experiencing a state of cognitive dissonance. For example, let's take a person who smokes cigarettes regularly. This person's view of smoking in regards to the world is that it is unhealthy; smoking may lead to lung or mouth cancer and can ultimately shorten his or her life. On the other hand, when that person is asked why they continue to smoke even though he or she knows that it is damaging to their health they my respond by claiming that all of their family members have smoked and lived to be 100 years old. Or, he or she might claim that the harmful effects of smoking are exaggerated and is not bad as what people make it out to be. Simply put, cognitive dissonance is when someone believes two conflicting ideas at the same time causing a state of tension.