GreenlightTestPrep wrote:
37² + (2)(37)(33) + 33² =
Challenge/hint: See if you can answer this question in your head. It's definitely possible.Answer:
Put down your calculator.
STRATEGY: When the GRE presents you with a computation-only question, there's often a hidden algebraic property that's being tested.
Of course, you can always solve the question by performing all of the calculations, but it's worth taking a moment to see if you can spot the algebraic property first. In this case, we might recognize that the given expression
37² + (2)(37)(33) + 33² closely resembles the special product
x² + 2xy + y²When we compare the two expressions we see that
x = 37 and
y = 33So, in the same way that
x² + 2xy + y² = (x + y)²...
... we can also conclude that
37² + (2)(37)(33) + 33² = (37 + 33)² = (70)² = 4900Answer: 4900