Question ID beca03de

Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: beca03de

A rectangle has a length that is times its width. The function represents this situation, where is the
area, in square feet, of the rectangle and . Which of the following is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. The length of the rectangle, in feet

B. The area of the rectangle, in square feet

C. The difference between the length and the width of the rectangle, in feet

D. The width of the rectangle, in feet

ID: beca03de Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that a rectangle has a length that is times its width. It's also given that the function
represents this situation, where is the area, in square feet, of the rectangle and . The area of a
rectangle can be calculated by multiplying the rectangle's length by its width. Since the rectangle has a length that is
times its width, it follows that represents the width of the rectangle, in feet, and represents the length of the
rectangle, in feet. Therefore, the best interpretation of in this context is that it's the length of the rectangle, in feet.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the best interpretation of , not , in the given function.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the best interpretation of , not , in the given function.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 91e7ea5e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 91e7ea5e

The quadratic function h is defined as shown. In the xy-plane, the graph of

intersects the x-axis at the points and , where t is a constant.
What is the value of t ?

A. 1

B. 2

C. 4

D. 8

ID: 91e7ea5e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the graph of intersects the x-axis at and , where t is a constant.
Since this graph intersects the x-axis when or when , it follows that and . If ,

then . Adding 32 to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this

equation by 2 yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields . Adding 4 to both
sides of this equation yields . Therefore, the value of t is 8.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 8490cc45
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 8490cc45

The function is defined by . What is the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 8490cc45 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane occurs at the point on the graph where
. In other words, when , the corresponding value of is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept. Substituting
for in the given equation yields , which is equivalent to , or .
Thus, when , the corresponding value of is . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-
plane is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This could be the y-intercept for , not .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4fbffc0a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4fbffc0a

The graph shows the height above ground, in meters, of a ball seconds after the ball was launched upward from a
platform. Which statement is the best interpretation of the marked point in this context?

A. second after being launched, the ball's height above ground is meters.

B. seconds after being launched, the ball's height above ground is meter.

C. The ball was launched from an initial height of meter with an initial velocity of meters per second.

D. The ball was launched from an initial height of meters with an initial velocity of meter per second.

ID: 4fbffc0a Answer

Correct Answer: A
Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the graph shows the height above ground, in meters, of a ball seconds after the ball
was launched upward from a platform. In the graph shown, the x-axis represents time, in seconds, and the y-axis
represents the height of the ball above ground, in meters. It follows that for the marked point , represents
the time, in seconds, after the ball was launched upward from a platform and represents the height of the ball above
ground, in meters. Therefore, the best interpretation of the marked point is second after being launched,
the ball's height above ground is meters.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a9084ca4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a9084ca4

The given function models the number of advertisements a company sent to its clients each year, where represents
the number of years since , and . If is graphed in the xy-plane, which of the following is the
best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph in this context?

A. The minimum estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients during the years was .

B. The minimum estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients during the years was .

C. The estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

D. The estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

ID: a9084ca4 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point where . For the given function , the y-
intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane can be found by substituting for in the equation
, which gives . This is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the y-
intercept of the graph of is . It’s given that the function models the number of advertisements a
company sent to its clients each year. Therefore, represents the estimated number of advertisements the company
sent to its clients each year. It's also given that represents the number of years since . Therefore,
represents years since , or . Thus, the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph of is that
the estimated number of advertisements the company sent to its clients in was .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2c6f214f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2c6f214f

The first term of a sequence is . Each term after the first is times the preceding term. If represents the th term of
the sequence, which equation gives in terms of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2c6f214f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since represents the th term of the sequence and is the first term of the sequence, the value of
is when the value of is . Since each term after the first is times the preceding term, the value of is when
the value of is . Therefore, the value of is , or , when the value of is . More generally, the value of
is for a given value of . Therefore, the equation gives in terms of .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than , and each term
after the first is , rather than , times the preceding term.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than , and each term after
the first is , rather than , times the preceding term.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation describes a sequence for which the first term is , rather than .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6abec9a8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6abec9a8

What is the -intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6abec9a8 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . At , the
corresponding value of is . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the y-axis at , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the y-axis at , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 52b1700c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 52b1700c

Time (years) Total amount (dollars)

Rosa opened a savings account at a bank. The table shows the exponential relationship between the time , in years,
since Rosa opened the account and the total amount , in dollars, in the account. If Rosa made no additional deposits or
withdrawals, which of the following equations best represents the relationship between and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 52b1700c Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the relationship between and is exponential. The table shows that the value of
increases as the value of increases. Therefore, the relationship between and can be represented by an increasing
exponential equation of the form , where and are positive constants. The table shows that when
, . Substituting for and for in the equation yields , which is
equivalent to , or . Substituting for in the equation yields .
The table also shows that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Dividing both sides of this equation by
yields approximately . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields that the value of is
approximately . Substituting for in the equation yields .
Therefore, of the choices, choice C best represents the relationship between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b8f13a3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b8f13a3a

Function is defined by , where and are constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of
has a y-intercept at . The product of and is . What is the value of ?

ID: b8f13a3a Answer

Correct Answer: 20

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields . It’s given that the y-intercept of the graph of is .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields , which is
equivalent to , or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . It’s
given that the product of and is , or . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1ee962ec
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1ee962ec

Scientists recorded data about the ocean water levels at a certain location over a period of hours. The graph shown
models the data, where represents sea level. Which table gives values of and their corresponding values of
based on the model?

A.

B.

C.
 D.

ID: 1ee962ec Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Each point on the graph represents an elapsed time , in hours, and the corresponding ocean
water level , in feet, at a certain location based on the model. The graph shown passes through the points ,
, and . Thus, the table in choice C gives the values of and their corresponding values of based on the
model.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 788bfd56
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 788bfd56

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 788bfd56 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The value of is the value of when . It's given that the function is defined by
. Substituting for in this equation yields . Since the positive square root of
is , it follows that this equation can be rewritten as , or . Therefore, the value of
is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f89af023
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f89af023

A rectangular volleyball court has an area of 162 square meters. If the length of
the court is twice the width, what is the width of the court, in meters?

A. 9

B. 18

C. 27

D. 54

ID: f89af023 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that the volleyball court is rectangular and has an area of 162 square meters. The formula
for the area of a rectangle is , where A is the area, is the length, and w is the width of the rectangle. It’s also
given that the length of the volleyball court is twice the width, thus . Substituting the given value into the formula
for the area of a rectangle and using the relationship between length and width for this rectangle yields .

This equation can be rewritten as . Dividing both sides of this equation by 2 yields . Taking the
square root of both sides of this equation yields . Since the width of a rectangle is a positive number, the width of
the volleyball court is 9 meters.

Choice B is incorrect because this is the length of the rectangle. Choice C is incorrect because this is the result of using
162 as the perimeter rather than the area. Choice D is incorrect because this is the result of calculating w in the equation
instead of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 7902bed0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7902bed0

A machine launches a softball from ground level. The softball reaches a maximum height of meters above the
ground at seconds and hits the ground at seconds. Which equation represents the height above ground , in
meters, of the softball seconds after it is launched?

A.

B.

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 7902bed0 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. An equation representing the height above ground , in meters, of a softball seconds after it is
launched by a machine from ground level can be written in the form , where , , and are positive
constants. In this equation, represents the time, in seconds, at which the softball reaches its maximum height of
meters above the ground. It's given that this softball reaches a maximum height of meters above the ground at
seconds; therefore, and . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields . It's also given that this softball hits the ground at seconds; therefore,
when . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Adding
to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Substituting for in the equation yields . Therefore,
represents the height above ground , in meters, of this softball seconds after it is
launched.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the maximum height is meters above the ground at
seconds, not meters above the ground at seconds.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the maximum height is meters above the ground
at seconds, not seconds.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4a0d0399
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4a0d0399

The function is defined by , where and are constants. In the -plane, the graph of has an
-intercept at and a -intercept at . What is the value of ?

ID: 4a0d0399 Answer

Correct Answer: -324

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the function is defined by , where and are constants. It's
also given that the graph of has a y-intercept at . It follows that . Substituting for
and for in yields , or . Subtracting from each side of this
equation yields . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID e53add44
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: e53add44

The function S above models the annual salary, in dollars, of an employee n

years after starting a job, where a is a constant. If the employee’s salary
increases by 4% each year, what is the value of a ?

A. 0.04

B. 0.4

C. 1.04

D. 1.4

ID: e53add44 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. A model for a quantity S that increases by a certain percentage per time period n is an exponential

function in the form , where I is the initial value at time for r% annual increase. It’s given that
the annual increase in an employee’s salary is 4%, so . The initial value can be found by substituting 0 for n in the
given function, which yields . Therefore, . Substituting these values for r and I into the form of

the exponential function yields , or .

Therefore, the value of a in the given function is 1.04.

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from incorrectly representing the annual increase in the exponential
function.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9654add7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9654add7

The revenue , in dollars, that a company receives from sales of a product is

given by the function f above, where x is the unit price, in dollars, of the product.
The graph of in the xy-plane intersects the x-axis at 0 and a. What does
a represent?

A. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0

B. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue

C. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0

D. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that the company can make

ID: 9654add7 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. By definition, the y-value when a function intersects the x-axis is 0. It’s given that the graph of the
function intersects the x-axis at 0 and a, that x is the unit price, in dollars, of a product, and that , where , is
the revenue, in dollars, that a company receives from the sales of the product. Since the value of a occurs when ,a
is the unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in a revenue of $0.

Choice A is incorrect. The revenue, in dollars, when the unit price of the product is $0 is represented by , when .
Choice B is incorrect. The unit price, in dollars, of the product that will result in maximum revenue is represented by the x-
coordinate of the maximum of f. Choice D is incorrect. The maximum revenue, in dollars, that the company can make is
represented by the y-coordinate of the maximum of f.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 263f9937
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 263f9937
Growth of a Culture of Bacteria
Number of bacteria per
Day
milliliter at end of day

A culture of bacteria is growing at an exponential rate, as shown in the table

above. At this rate, on which day would the number of bacteria per milliliter reach
?

A. Day 5

B. Day 9

C. Day 11

D. Day 12

ID: 263f9937 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The number of bacteria per milliliter is doubling each day. For example, from day 1 to day 2, the
number of bacteria increased from 2.5 × 105 to 5.0 × 105. At the end of day 3 there are 106 bacteria per milliliter. At the
end of day 4, there will be 106 × 2 bacteria per milliliter. At the end of day 5, there will be (106 × 2) × 2, or 106 × (22)
bacteria per milliliter, and so on. At the end of day d, the number of bacteria will be 106 × (2d – 3). If the number of
bacteria per milliliter will reach 5.12 × 108 at the end of day d, then the equation must hold.

Since 5.12 × 108 can be rewritten as 512 × 106, the equation is equivalent to . Rewriting 512 as 29 gives d –
3 = 9, so d = 12. The number of bacteria per milliliter would reach 5.12 × 108 at the end of day 12.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. Given the growth rate of the bacteria, the number of bacteria will not reach 5.12 × 108
per milliliter by the end of any of these days.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 926c246b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 926c246b

The equation above estimates the global data traffic D, in terabytes, for the year
that is t years after 2010. What is the best interpretation of the number 5,640 in
this context?

A. The estimated amount of increase of data traffic, in terabytes, each year

B. The estimated percent increase in the data traffic, in terabytes, each year

C. The estimated data traffic, in terabytes, for the year that is t years after 2010

D. The estimated data traffic, in terabytes, in 2010

ID: 926c246b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since t represents the number of years after 2010, the estimated data traffic, in terabytes, in 2010
can be calculated using the given equation when . Substituting 0 for t in the given equation yields ,
or . Thus, 5,640 represents the estimated data traffic, in terabytes, in 2010.

Choice A is incorrect. Since the equation is exponential, the amount of increase of data traffic each year isn’t constant.
Choice B is incorrect. According to the equation, the percent increase in data traffic each year is 90%. Choice C is
incorrect. The estimated data traffic, in terabytes, for the year that is t years after 2010 is represented by D, not the
number 5,640.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4dd4efcf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4dd4efcf

In the given quadratic function, and are constants. The graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola that opens
upward and has a vertex at the point , where and are constants. If and , which of the
following must be true?

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 4dd4efcf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that the graph of in the xy-plane is a parabola with vertex . If
, then for the graph of , the point with an x-coordinate of and the point with an x-coordinate
of have the same y-coordinate. In the xy-plane, a parabola is a symmetric graph such that when two points have the
same y-coordinate, these points are equidistant from the vertex, and the x-coordinate of the vertex is halfway between
the x-coordinates of these two points. Therefore, for the graph of , the points with x-coordinates and are
equidistant from the vertex, , and is halfway between and . The value that is halfway between and is
, or . Therefore, . The equation defining can also be written in vertex form, .
Substituting for in this equation yields , or . This equation is
equivalent to , or . Since , it follows
that and . Dividing both sides of the equation by yields , or . Since ,
it's not true that . Therefore, statement II isn't true. Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . If , then
, or . Since could be any value less than , it's not necessarily true that . Therefore, statement I
isn't necessarily true. Thus, neither I nor II must be true.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID cc2601cb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cc2601cb

The x-intercept of the graph shown is . What is the value of ?

ID: cc2601cb Answer

Correct Answer: 7

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that the x-intercept of the graph shown is . The graph passes through the point
. Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 252a3b3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 252a3b3a

Which of the following could be the equation of the graph shown in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D. msup

ID: 252a3b3a Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. Each of the given choices is an equation of the form , where , , ,
and are positive constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of an equation of this form has x-intercepts at , , and
. The graph shown has x-intercepts at , , and . Therefore, and . Of the given
choices, only choices A and B have and . For an equation in the form , if all
values of that are less than or greater than correspond to negative y-values, then the sum of all the exponents of
the factors on the right-hand side of the equation is even. In the graph shown, all values of less than or greater than
correspond to negative y-values. Therefore, the sum of all the exponents of the factors on the right-hand side of the
equation must be even. For choice A, the sum of these exponents is , or ,
which is odd. For choice B, the sum of these exponents is , or , which is even. Therefore,
could be the equation of the graph shown.

Choice A is incorrect. For the graph of this equation, all values of less than correspond to positive, not negative, y-
values.

Choice C is incorrect. The graph of this equation has x-intercepts at , , and , rather than x-intercepts
at , , and .

Choice D is incorrect. The graph of this equation has x-intercepts at , , and , rather than x-intercepts
at , , and .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID cc6ccd71
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cc6ccd71

The graph of is shown, where the function is defined by and , , , and are
constants. For how many values of does ?

A. One

B. Two

C. Three

D. Four

ID: cc6ccd71 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. If a value of satisfies , the graph of will contain a point and thus touch
the x-axis. Since there are points at which this graph touches the x-axis, there are values of for which .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium
Question ID 841ef26c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 841ef26c

The function is defined by . For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 841ef26c Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that . Since , it follows that
. Expanding the quantity in this equation yields
. Distributing the and the yields
. Combining like terms yields .
Therefore, . For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form
, where , , and are constants and is positive, reaches its minimum, , when the value
of is . The equation can be rewritten in this form by completing the square. This
equation is equivalent to , or . This equation can
be rewritten as , or , which is equivalent to
. This equation is in the form , where , , and .
Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of for which , rather than , reaches its minimum.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of for which , rather than , reaches its minimum.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b39d74a0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b39d74a0

x y

0 0

1 1

2 8

3 27

The table shown includes some values of x and their corresponding values of y.
Which of the following graphs in the xy-plane could represent the relationship
between x and y ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b39d74a0 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. Each pair of values shown in the table gives the ordered pair of coordinates for a point that lies on
the graph that represents the relationship between x and y in the xy-plane: , , , and . Only the graph
in choice B passes through the points listed in the table that are visible in the given choices.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. None of these graphs passes through the point .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d135f4bf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d135f4bf

The function is defined by . In the xy-plane, the graph of is the result of

translating the graph of up units. What is the value of ?

ID: d135f4bf Answer

Correct Answer: 76

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the graph of is the result of translating the graph of up
units in the xy-plane. It follows that the graph of is the same as the graph of . Substituting
for in the equation yields . It's given that .
Substituting for in the equation yields
. Substituting for in this equation yields ,
or . Thus, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d4950429
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d4950429

A rectangle has a length of units and a width of units. If the rectangle has an area of square units, what is
the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d4950429 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The area of a rectangle is equal to its length multiplied by its width. Multiplying the given length,
units, by the given width, units, yields square units. If the rectangle has an area of square units,
it follows that , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields
. Factoring the left-hand side of this equation yields . Applying the zero
product property to this equation yields two solutions: and . Since is the rectangle’s length, in units,
which must be positive, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the width, in units, of the rectangle, not the value of .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the area, in square units, of the rectangle, not the value of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 752055d1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 752055d1

A scientist initially measures bacteria in a growth medium. hours later, the scientist measures bacteria.
Assuming exponential growth, the formula gives the number of bacteria in the growth medium, where and
are constants and is the number of bacteria hours after the initial measurement. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 752055d1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that the formula gives the number of bacteria in a growth medium, where
and are constants and is the number of bacteria hours after the initial measurement. It’s also given that a scientist
initially measures bacteria in the growth medium. Since the initial measurement is hours after the initial
measurement, it follows that when , . Substituting for and for in the given equation
yields , or , which is equivalent to . It’s given that hours later, the
scientist measures bacteria, or when , . Substituting for , for , and for
in the given equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields , or
, which is equivalent to . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore, the value of
is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of the reciprocal of .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of the reciprocal of . Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 271ffad7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 271ffad7

A quadratic function models a projectile's height, in meters, above the ground in terms of the time, in seconds, after it
was launched. The model estimates that the projectile was launched from an initial height of meters above the ground
and reached a maximum height of meters above the ground seconds after the launch. How many seconds after
the launch does the model estimate that the projectile will return to a height of meters?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 271ffad7 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that a quadratic function models the projectile's height, in meters, above the ground in
terms of the time, in seconds, after it was launched. It follows that an equation representing the model can be written in
the form , where is the projectile's estimated height above the ground, in meters,
seconds after the launch, is a constant, and is the maximum height above the ground, in meters, the model estimates
the projectile reached seconds after the launch. It's given that the model estimates the projectile reached a maximum
height of meters above the ground seconds after the launch. Therefore, and . Substituting
for and for in the equation yields . It's also given that the
model estimates that the projectile was launched from an initial height of meters above the ground. Therefore, when
, . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Therefore, the equation
models the projectile's height, in meters, above the ground seconds after it was
launched. The number of seconds after the launch that the model estimates that the projectile will return to a height of
meters is the value of when . Substituting for in yields
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . Taking the square root of both sides of this equation yields
two equations: and . Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Adding
to both sides of the equation yields . Since seconds after the launch represents the time at which
the projectile was launched, must be the number of seconds the model estimates that the projectile will return to a
height of meters.

Alternate approach: It's given that a quadratic function models the projectile's height, in meters, above the ground in
terms of the time, in seconds, after it was launched. It's also given that the model estimates that the projectile was
launched from an initial height of meters above the ground and reached a maximum height of meters above the
ground seconds after the launch. Since the model is quadratic, and quadratic functions are symmetric, the model
estimates that for any given height less than the maximum height, the time the projectile takes to travel from the given
height to the maximum height is the same as the time the projectile takes to travel from the maximum height back to the
given height. Thus, since the model estimates the projectile took seconds to travel from meters above the ground to
its maximum height of meters above the ground, the model also estimates the projectile will take more seconds
to travel from its maximum height of meters above the ground back to meters above the ground. Thus, the model
estimates that the projectile will return to a height of meters seconds after it reaches its maximum height, which is
seconds after the launch.

Choice A is incorrect. The model estimates that seconds after the launch, the projectile reached a height of
meters, not meters.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ee857afb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ee857afb

The given equation relates the variables and . For what value of does the value of reach its minimum?

ID: ee857afb Answer

Correct Answer: 7

Rationale
The correct answer is . When an equation is of the form , where , , and are constants, the value
of reaches its minimum when . Since the given equation is of the form , it follows that
, , and . Therefore, the value of reaches its minimum when , or .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 837e9da7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 837e9da7

The function is defined by . What is the value of when ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 837e9da7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields , or .
Therefore, when , the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of when .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of when .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of when .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID a45ffacb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a45ffacb

Function is defined by , where and are constants. In the xy-plane, the graph of
has a y-intercept at . The product of and is . What is the value of ?

ID: a45ffacb Answer

Correct Answer: 5

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that . Substituting for in the equation
yields . It’s given that the y-intercept of the graph of is . Substituting for
and for in the equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . It’s given that the
product of and is , or . Substituting for in this equation yields . Dividing both sides
of this equation by yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 341ba5db
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 341ba5db

What is the minimum value of the given function?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 341ba5db Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form , where , , and
are constants and , the minimum value of the function is . In the given function, , , and .
Therefore, the minimum value of the given function is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of for which the given function reaches its minimum value, not the minimum
value of the function.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 18e35375
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 18e35375

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 18e35375 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as . Since
the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches its minimum
value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its minimum. For an equation
in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of the vertex is . For the
equation , , , and . It follows that the x-coordinate of the vertex is ,
or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-
intercepts of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of the
graph of in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and . The
midpoint between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between and
is , or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b5c43226
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b5c43226

What is the y-intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b5c43226 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point at which the graph crosses the y-axis. The
graph shown crosses the y-axis at the point . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID e166aca6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: e166aca6

What is the x-intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: e166aca6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The x-intercept of the graph shown is the point on the graph where . At , the
corresponding value of is . Therefore, the x-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the x-axis at , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the x-axis at , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the x-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane that intersects the x-axis at , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 50e40f08
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 50e40f08

If the given function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , what is the x-coordinate of an x-intercept of the
graph?

ID: 50e40f08 Answer

Correct Answer: -6, 4

Rationale
The correct answer is either or . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where . Thus, for an
x-intercept of the graph of , . Substituting for in the equation yields
. By the zero product property, and . Subtracting from both sides of the
equation yields . Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Therefore, the x-
coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of are and . Note that -6 and 4 are examples of ways to enter
a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID be0c419e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: be0c419e

Immanuel purchased a certain rare coin on January 1. The function , where , gives the
predicted value, in dollars, of the rare coin years after Immanuel purchased it. What is the best interpretation of the
statement “ is approximately equal to ” in this context?

When the rare coin's predicted value is approximately dollars, it is greater than the predicted value, in dollars,
A. on January 1 of the previous year.

When the rare coin’s predicted value is approximately dollars, it is times the predicted value, in dollars, on
B. January 1 of the previous year.

From the day Immanuel purchased the rare coin to years after Immanuel purchased the coin, its predicted value
C. increased by a total of approximately dollars.

D. years after Immanuel purchased the rare coin, its predicted value is approximately dollars.

ID: be0c419e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function gives the predicted value, in dollars, of a certain rare
coin years after Immanuel purchased it. It follows that represents the predicted value, in dollars, of the coin
years after Immanuel purchased it. Since the value of is the value of when , it follows that “ is
approximately equal to ” means that is approximately equal to when . Therefore, the best interpretation
of the statement “ is approximately equal to ” in this context is years after Immanuel purchased the rare coin, its
predicted value is approximately dollars.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ce579859
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ce579859

A model estimates that at the end of each year from to , the number of squirrels in a population was
more than the number of squirrels in the population at the end of the previous year. The model estimates that at the end
of , there were squirrels in the population. Which of the following equations represents this model, where is
the estimated number of squirrels in the population years after the end of and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: ce579859 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Since the model estimates that the number of squirrels in the population increased by a fixed
percentage, , each year, the model can be represented by an exponential equation of the form ,
where is the estimated number of squirrels in the population at the end of , and the model estimates that at the
end of each year, the number is more than the number at the end of the previous year. Since the model estimates
that at the end of each year, the number was more than the number at the end of the previous year, .
Substituting for in the equation yields , which is equivalent to
, or . It’s given that the estimated number of squirrels at the end of was . This
means that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields ,
or . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation
yields .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of squirrels
was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a model where at the end of each year, the estimated number of squirrels
was of, not more than, the estimated number at the end of the previous year, and the estimated number of
squirrels at the end of , not the end of , was .

Choice D is incorrect. This equation represents a model where the estimated number of squirrels at the end of , not
the end of , was .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2f51abc2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2f51abc2

The function is defined by the given equation. For which of the following values of does ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2f51abc2 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The value of for which can be found by substituting for and for in the
given equation, , which yields . For this equation to be true, either or
. Adding to both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields . To check whether is the value of , substituting for in the equation
yields , which is equivalent to , or , which isn't a
true statement. Therefore, isn't the value of . Adding to both sides of the equation yields
. Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . To check whether is the value of , substituting
for in the equation yields , which is equivalent to , or
, which is a true statement. Therefore, the value of for which is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a31417d1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a31417d1

From 2005 through 2014, the number of music CDs sold in the United States
declined each year by approximately 15% of the number sold the preceding year.
In 2005, approximately 600 million CDs were sold in the United States. Of the
following, which best models C, the number of millions of CDs sold in the United
States, t years after 2005?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a31417d1 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. A model for a quantity C that decreases by a certain percentage per time period t is an exponential

equation in the form , where I is the initial value at time for r% annual decline. It’s given that C is
the number of millions of CDs sold in the United States and that t is the number of years after 2005. It’s also given that
600 million CDs were sold at time , so . This number declines by 15% per year, so . Substituting these

values into the equation produces , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from errors made when representing the percent decline. Choices C and D are
incorrect. These equations model exponential increases in CD sales, not exponential decreases.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 9afe2370
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9afe2370
The population P of a certain city y years after the last census is modeled by the equation below, where r is a constant
and is the population when .

If during this time the population of the city decreases by a fixed percent each
year, which of the following must be true?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 9afe2370 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The term (1 + r) represents a percent change. Since the population is decreasing, the percent change
must be between 0% and 100%. When the percent change is expressed as a decimal rather than as a percent, the
percentage change must be between 0 and 1. Because (1 + r) represents percent change, this can be expressed as 0 < 1
+ r < 1. Subtracting 1 from all three terms of this compound inequality results in –1 < r < 0.

Choice A is incorrect. If r < –1, then after 1 year, the population P would be a negative value, which is not possible.
Choices C and D are incorrect. For any value of r > 0, 1 + r > 1, and the exponential function models growth for positive
values of the exponent. This contradicts the given information that the population is decreasing.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ad376f1a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ad376f1a

The graph of is shown in the xy-plane. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ad376f1a Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Because the graph of is shown, the value of is the value of on the graph that
corresponds with . When , the corresponding value of is . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID db888cd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: db888cd6

The graph gives the estimated number of catalogs , in thousands, a company sent to its customers at the end of each
year, where represents the number of years since the end of , where . Which statement is the best
interpretation of the y-intercept in this context?

A. The estimated total number of catalogs the company sent to its customers during the first years was .

The estimated total number of catalogs the company sent to its customers from the end of to the end of
B. was .

C. The estimated number of catalogs the company sent to its customers at the end of was .

D. The estimated number of catalogs the company sent to its customers at the end of was .

ID: db888cd6 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of the graph is the point at which the graph crosses the y-axis, or the point for which
the value of is . Therefore, the y-intercept of the given graph is the point . It's given that represents the number
of years since the end of . Therefore, represents years since the end of , which is the same as the end
of . It's also given that represents the estimated number of catalogs, in thousands, that the company sent to its
customers at the end of the year. Therefore, represents catalogs. It follows that the y-intercept
means that the estimated number of catalogs the company sent to its customers at the end of was .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6ecdbcb4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6ecdbcb4

The function is given. Which table of values represents ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6ecdbcb4 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that and . Substituting
for in the equation yields . Substituting
for in this equation yields , or . Substituting for in the
equation yields , or . Substituting
for in the equation yields , or . Therefore,
when then , when then , and when then . Thus, the table of values in
choice B represents .

Choice A is incorrect. This table represents rather than .

Choice C is incorrect. This table represents rather than .

Choice D is incorrect. This table represents rather than .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 203774bc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 203774bc

The product of two positive integers is . If the first integer is greater than twice the second integer, what is the
smaller of the two integers?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 203774bc Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Let be the first integer and let be the second integer. If the first integer is greater than twice
the second integer, then . If the product of the two integers is , then . Substituting
for in this equation results in . Distributing the to both terms in the parentheses results in
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation results in . The left-hand
side of this equation can be factored by finding two values whose product is , or , and whose sum is .
The two values whose product is and whose sum is are and . Thus, the equation
can be rewritten as , which is equivalent to
, or . By the zero product property, it follows that
and . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields . Dividing both sides of
this equation by yields . Since is a positive integer, the value of is not . Adding to both sides of
the equation yields . Substituting for in the equation yields . Dividing
both sides of this equation by results in . Therefore, the two integers are and , so the smaller of the two
integers is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the larger of the two integers.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID b7c74b73
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b7c74b73

The function gives the value, in dollars, of a certain piece of equipment after months of use. If the value of the
equipment decreases each year by of its value the preceding year, what is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b7c74b73 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. For a function of the form , where , , and are constants and , the value of
decreases by for every increase of by . In the given function, , , and .
Therefore, for the given function, the value of decreases by , or , for every increase of by
. Since represents the value, in dollars, of the equipment after months of use, it follows that the value of the
equipment decreases every months by of its value the preceding months. Since there are months in a
year, the value of the equipment decreases each year by of its value the preceding year. Thus, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID c4cd5bcc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c4cd5bcc

In the xy-plane, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of the function f is
c. Which of the following must be equal to c ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c4cd5bcc Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. A y-intercept is the point in the xy-plane where the graph of the function crosses the y-axis, which is
where . It’s given that the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of function f is c. It follows that the coordinate
pair representing the y-intercept must be . Therefore, c must equal .

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect because , , and would represent the y-value of the coordinate where
, , and , respectively.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 78d5f91a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 78d5f91a

For the function f defined above, what is

the value of ?

A.

B.

C. 7

D. 11

ID: 78d5f91a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. Substituting for x in the given function f gives , which

simplifies to . This further simplifies to , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from correctly substituting for x in the function but incorrectly simplifying the

resulting expression to , or . Choice B is incorrect and may result from arithmetic errors.
Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly substituting for x in the function but incorrectly simplifying the

expression to , or 11.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 735a0a00
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 735a0a00

The equation gives the estimated stock price , in dollars, for a certain company days after a new product launched,
where . Which statement is the best interpretation of in this context?

A. The company's estimated stock price increased every day after the new product launched.

B. The company's estimated stock price increased every days after the new product launched.

C. day after the new product launched, the company's estimated stock price is .

D. days after the new product launched, the company's estimated stock price is .

ID: 735a0a00 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. In the given equation, represents the number of days after a new product launched, where
, and represents the estimated stock price, in dollars, for a certain company. Therefore, the best
interpretation of in this context is that day after the new product launched, the company's estimated
stock price is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID d675744f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d675744f

Which of the following is the graph in the xy-

plane of the given equation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d675744f Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of the graph of an equation is the point , where b is the value of y when .
For the given equation, when . It follows that the y-intercept of the graph of the given equation is .
Additionally, for the given equation, the value of y doubles for each increase of 1 in the value of x. Therefore, the graph
contains the points , , , and . Only the graph shown in choice D passes through these points.

Choices A and B are incorrect because these are graphs of decreasing, not increasing, exponential functions. Choice C is
incorrect because the value of y increases by a growth factor greater than 2 for each increase of 1 in the value of x.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5377d9cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 5377d9cf

If ,

what is ?

A. –5

B. –2

C. 2

D. 5

ID: 5377d9cf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. Substituting –1 for x in the equation that defines f gives . Simplifying

the expressions in the numerator and denominator yields , which is equal to or –5.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may result from misapplying the order of operations when substituting –1 for x.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f2d60b99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f2d60b99

The function gives a metal ball's height above the ground , in inches, seconds after it
started moving on a track, where . Which of the following is the best interpretation of the vertex of the graph
of in the xy-plane?

A. The metal ball's minimum height was inches above the ground.

B. The metal ball's minimum height was inches above the ground.

C. The metal ball's height was inches above the ground when it started moving.

D. The metal ball's height was inches above the ground when it started moving.

ID: f2d60b99 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The graph of a quadratic equation in the form , where , , and are positive
constants, is a parabola that opens upward with vertex . The given function is in the form
, where , , , and . Therefore, the graph of is a parabola that
opens upward with vertex . Since the parabola opens upward, the vertex is the lowest point on the graph. It follows
that the y-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of is the minimum value of . Therefore, the minimum value
of is . It’s given that represents the metal ball’s height above the ground, in inches,
seconds after it started moving on a track. Therefore, the best interpretation of the vertex of the graph of is
that the metal ball’s minimum height was inches above the ground.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 67f4b449
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 67f4b449

The function gives the area of a rectangle, , if its width is and its length is
times its width. Which of the following is the best interpretation of ?

A. If the width of the rectangle is , then the area of the rectangle is .

B. If the width of the rectangle is , then the length of the rectangle is .

C. If the width of the rectangle is , then the length of the rectangle is .

D. If the width of the rectangle is , then the area of the rectangle is .

ID: 67f4b449 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The function gives the area of the rectangle, in , if its width is . Since the value of is
the value of if , it follows that means that is if . In the given context,
this means that if the width of the rectangle is , then the area of the rectangle is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from interpreting as the width, in , of the rectangle if its area is , rather
than as the area, in , of the rectangle if its width is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 44076c7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 44076c7d

For the quadratic function , the table shows three values of and their corresponding values of . Which equation
defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 44076c7d Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. The equation of a quadratic function can be written in the form , where , ,
and are constants. It’s given in the table that when , the corresponding value of is . Substituting for
and for in the equation gives , which is equivalent to
, or . It’s given in the table that when , the corresponding
value of is . Substituting for and for in the equation gives
, or . It’s given in the table that when , the corresponding value of is .
Substituting for and for in the equation gives , which is
equivalent to , or . Adding to the
equation gives . Dividing both sides of this equation by gives
. Since , substituting for into the equation gives
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation gives . Substituting for in the equations
and gives and , respectively. Since
, substituting for in the equation gives , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation gives . Dividing both sides of this equation by
gives . Substituting for into the equation gives , or .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation gives . Substituting for , for , and for in the
equation gives , which is equivalent to ,
or . Therefore, defines .

Choice A is incorrect. If , then when , the corresponding value of is , not .

Choice B is incorrect. If , then when , the corresponding value of is , not .

Choice C is incorrect. If , then when , the corresponding value of is , not , and

when , the corresponding value of is , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1f353a9e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1f353a9e

The given function models the number of coupons a company sent to their customers at the end of each year, where
represents the number of years since the end of , and . If is graphed in the ty-plane, which of
the following is the best interpretation of the y-intercept of the graph in this context?

A. The minimum estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers during the years was .

B. The minimum estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers during the years was .

C. The estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of was .

D. The estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers at the end of was .

ID: 1f353a9e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the ty-plane is the point where . For the given function , the y-
intercept of the graph of in the ty-plane can be found by substituting for in the equation ,
which gives . This is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the y-intercept of the
graph of is . It’s given that the function models the number of coupons a company sent to their
customers at the end of each year. Therefore, represents the estimated number of coupons the company sent to
their customers at the end of each year. It's also given that represents the number of years since the end of .
Therefore, represents years since the end of , or the end of . Thus, the best interpretation of the y-
intercept of the graph of is that the estimated number of coupons the company sent to their customers at the
end of was .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 75915e3c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 75915e3c

For the function f defined above, what

is the value of ?

A. 9

B. 12

C. 18

D. 36

ID: 75915e3c Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. The value of is found by evaluating the expression when . Substituting 2 for x in the

given equation yields . Simplifying in the equation results in . Evaluating the right-hand side
of the equation yields . Therefore, the value of is 18.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from evaluating the expression as . Choice B is incorrect and may result from

evaluating the expression as . Choice D is incorrect and may result from evaluating the expression as .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f44a29a8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f44a29a8

An object’s kinetic energy, in joules, is equal to the product of one-half the

object’s mass, in kilograms, and the square of the object’s speed, in meters per
second. What is the speed, in meters per second, of an object with a mass of 4
kilograms and kinetic energy of 18 joules?

A. 3

B. 6

C. 9

D. 36

ID: f44a29a8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It’s given that an object’s kinetic energy, in joules, is equal to the product of one-half the object’s
mass, in kilograms, and the square of the object’s speed, in meters per second. This relationship can be represented by

the equation , where K is the kinetic energy, m is the mass, and v is the speed. Substituting a mass of 4

kilograms for m and a kinetic energy of 18 joules for K results in the equation , or . Dividing

both sides of this equation by 2 yields . Taking the square root of both sides yields and . Since
speed can’t be expressed as a negative number, the speed of the object is 3 meters per second.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from computation errors. Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of rather than v.

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of rather than v.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 92f812bb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 92f812bb

In the xy-plane, a parabola has vertex and intersects the x-axis at two points. If the equation of the parabola is
written in the form , where , , and are constants, which of the following could be the value of
?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 92f812bb Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The equation of a parabola in the xy-plane can be written in the form , where is
a constant and is the vertex of the parabola. If is positive, the parabola will open upward, and if is negative, the
parabola will open downward. It’s given that the parabola has vertex . Substituting for and for in the
equation gives , which can be rewritten as , or
. Distributing the factor of on the right-hand side of this equation yields
. Therefore, the equation of the parabola, , can be written
in the form , where , , and . Substituting for and for
in the expression yields , or . Since the vertex of the parabola,
, is below the x-axis, and it’s given that the parabola intersects the x-axis at two points, the parabola must open
upward. Therefore, the constant must have a positive value. Setting the expression equal to the value in
choice D yields . Adding to both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this
equation by yields , which is a positive value. Therefore, if the equation of the parabola is written in the form
, where , , and are constants, the value of could be .

Choice A is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form ,
where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be negative, which means the parabola
will open downward, not upward, and will intersect the x-axis at zero points, not two points.

Choice B is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form ,
where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be negative, which means the parabola
will open downward, not upward, and will intersect the x-axis at zero points, not two points.

Choice C is incorrect. If the equation of a parabola with a vertex at is written in the form ,
where , , and are constants and , then the value of will be , which is inconsistent with the
equation of a parabola.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID f547a8b1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f547a8b1

What is the y-intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f547a8b1 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point at which the graph crosses the y-axis. The
graph shown crosses the y-axis at the point . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 0121a235
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0121a235

x p(x)

The table above gives selected values of a polynomial function p. Based on the
values in the table, which of the following must be a factor of p ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0121a235 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. According to the table, when x is or 2, . Therefore, two x-intercepts of the graph of p are
and . Since and are x-intercepts, it follows that and are factors of the
polynomial equation. This is because when , the value of is 0. Similarly, when , the value of is
0. Therefore, the product is a factor of the polynomial function p.

Choice A is incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table. Choice B is
incorrect. The factor corresponds to an x-intercept of , which isn’t present in the table. Choice C is incorrect.
The factors and correspond to x-intercepts and , respectively, which aren’t present in the table.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9da41c80
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9da41c80

A ball is dropped from an initial height of feet and bounces off the ground repeatedly. The function estimates that
the maximum height reached after each time the ball hits the ground is of the maximum height reached after the
previous time the ball hit the ground. Which equation defines , where is the estimated maximum height of the ball
after it has hit the ground times and is a whole number greater than and less than ?

A.

B.

C. msup

D.

ID: 9da41c80 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that for the function , is the estimated maximum height, in feet, of the ball after it
has hit the ground times. It's also given that the function estimates that the maximum height reached after each time
the ball hits the ground is of the maximum height reached after the previous time the ball hit the ground. It follows
that is a decreasing exponential function that can be written in the form , where is the initial height,
in feet, the ball was dropped from and the function estimates that the maximum height reached after each time the ball
hits the ground is of the maximum height reached after the previous time the ball hit the ground. It's given that the
ball is dropped from an initial height of feet. Therefore, . Since the function estimates that the maximum
height reached after each time the ball hits the ground is of the maximum height reached after the previous time
the ball hit the ground, . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, or .

Choice A is incorrect. This function estimates that the maximum height reached after each time the ball hits the ground
is , not , of the maximum height reached after the previous time the ball hit the ground.

Choice C is incorrect. This function estimates that the ball is dropped from an initial height of feet, not feet, and
that the maximum height reached after each time the ball hits the ground is , not , of the maximum height
reached after the previous time the ball hit the ground.

Choice D is incorrect. This function estimates that the ball is dropped from an initial height of feet, not feet.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 7160cbb3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7160cbb3

What is the y-intercept of the graph shown?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7160cbb3 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The y-intercept of a graph in the xy-plane is the point on the graph where . For the graph
shown, at , the corresponding value of y is . Therefore, the y-intercept of the graph shown is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d71f6dbf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d71f6dbf

The height, in feet, of an object x seconds after it is thrown straight up in the air
can be modeled by the function . Based on the model,

which of the following statements best interprets the equation ?

A. The height of the object 1.4 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is 1.64 feet.

B. The height of the object 1.64 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is 1.4 feet.

The height of the object 1.64 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is approximately 1.4 times as great as
C. its initial height.

D. The speed of the object 1.4 seconds after being thrown straight up in the air is approximately 1.64 feet per second.

ID: d71f6dbf Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The value 1.4 is the value of x, which represents the number of seconds after the object was thrown
straight up in the air. When the function h is evaluated for x = 1.4, the function has a value of 1.64, which is the height, in
feet, of the object.

Choices B and C are incorrect and may result from misidentifying seconds as feet and feet as seconds. Additionally,
choice C may result from incorrectly including the initial height of the object as the input x. Choice D is incorrect and may
result from misidentifying height as speed.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 20722644
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 20722644

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 20722644 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields . This is
equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID bba18ecb
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: bba18ecb

When the quadratic function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , its vertex is . One of the x-intercepts
of this graph is . What is the other x-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: bba18ecb Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Since the line of symmetry for the graph of a quadratic function contains the vertex of the graph, the
x-coordinate of the vertex of the graph of is the x-coordinate of the midpoint of its two x-intercepts. The
midpoint of two points with x-coordinates and has x-coordinate , where . It′s given that the vertex
is and one of the x-intercepts is . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields . Adding to
each side of this equation yields . Therefore, the other x-intercept is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 70753f99
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 70753f99

The function f is defined by . The graph of f in the xy-plane

is a parabola. Which of the following intervals contains the x-coordinate of the
vertex of the graph of f ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 70753f99 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. The graph of a quadratic function in the xy-plane is a parabola. The axis of symmetry of the parabola
passes through the vertex of the parabola. Therefore, the vertex of the parabola and the midpoint of the segment
between the two x-intercepts of the graph have the same x-coordinate. Since , the x-coordinate of

the vertex is . Of the shown intervals, only the interval in choice B contains –2. Choices A, C, and D
are incorrect and may result from either calculation errors or misidentification of the graph’s x-intercepts.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 6676f055
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6676f055

An engineer wanted to identify the best angle for a cooling fan in an engine in
order to get the greatest airflow. The engineer discovered that the function
above models the airflow , in cubic feet per minute, as a function of the
angle of the fan , in degrees. According to the model, what angle, in degrees,
gives the greatest airflow?

A. –0.28

B. 0.28

C. 27

D. 880

ID: 6676f055 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. The function f is quadratic, so it will have either a maximum or a minimum at the vertex of the graph.
Since the coefficient of the quadratic term (–0.28) is negative, the vertex will be at a maximum. The equation f( ) = –
0.28( – 27)2 + 880 is given in vertex form, so the vertex is at = 27. Therefore, an angle of 27 degrees gives the
greatest airflow.

Choices A and B are incorrect and may be the result of misidentifying which value in a quadratic equation in vertex form
represents the vertex. Choice D is incorrect. This choice identifies the maximum value of f( ) rather than the value of
for which f( ) is maximized.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 90bcaa61
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 90bcaa61

The function gives the number of bacteria in a population minutes after an initial observation.
How much time, in minutes, does it take for the number of bacteria in the population to double?

ID: 90bcaa61 Answer

Correct Answer: 410

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that minutes after an initial observation, the number of bacteria in a population is
. This expression consists of the initial number of bacteria, , multiplied by the expression . The
time it takes for the number of bacteria to double is the increase in the value of that causes the expression to
double. Since the base of the expression is , the expression will double when the exponent increases by .
Since the exponent of the expression is , the exponent will increase by when increases by . Therefore the
time, in minutes, it takes for the number of bacteria in the population to double is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID dd8ac009
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: dd8ac009

Time (years) Total amount (dollars)

Sara opened a savings account at a bank. The table shows the exponential relationship between the time , in years,
since Sara opened the account and the total amount , in dollars, in the account. If Sara made no additional deposits or
withdrawals, which of the following equations best represents the relationship between and ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: dd8ac009 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that the relationship between and is exponential. The table shows that the value of
increases as the value of increases. Therefore, the relationship between and can be represented by an increasing
exponential equation of the form , where and are positive constants. The table shows that when
, . Substituting for and for in the equation yields , which is equivalent
to , or . Substituting for in the equation yields . The table
also shows that when , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields
, or . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Therefore, of the choices, choice B best represents the relationship
between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 58dcc59f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 58dcc59f

A landscaper is designing a rectangular garden. The length of the garden is to be

5 feet longer than the width. If the area of the garden will be 104 square feet,
what will be the length, in feet, of the garden?

ID: 58dcc59f Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 13. Let w represent the width of the rectangular garden, in feet. Since the length of the garden will
be 5 feet longer than the width of the garden, the length of the garden will be feet. Thus the area of the garden will
be . It is also given that the area of the garden will be 104 square feet. Therefore, , which is

equivalent to . Factoring this equation results in . Therefore, and

. Because width cannot be negative, the width of the garden must be 8 feet. This means the length of the
garden must be feet.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2d1614a1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2d1614a1

The function models the population, in thousands, of a certain city years after . According to the model, the
population is predicted to increase by every months. What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2d1614a1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that the function models the population of the city years after . Since there are
months in a year, months is equivalent to years. Therefore, the expression can represent the number of years
in -month periods. Substituting for in the given equation yields , which is
equivalent to . Therefore, for each -month period, the predicted population of the city is
times, or of, the previous population. This means that the population is predicted to increase by every
months.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect. Each year, the predicted population of the city is times the previous year's predicted
population, which is not the same as an increase of .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 84dd43f8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84dd43f8

For the function , , and for each increase in by , the value of decreases by . What is the value of
?

ID: 84dd43f8 Answer

Correct Answer: 3.44, 86/25

Rationale
The correct answer is . It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of decreases
by . Because the output of the function decreases by a constant percentage for each -unit increase in the value of
, this relationship can be represented by an exponential function of the form , where represents the
initial value of the function and represents the rate of decay,
expressed as a decimal. Because , the value of must be . Because the value of decreases by
for each -unit increase in , the value of must be , or . Therefore, the function can be defined by
. Substituting for in this function yields , which is equivalent to
, or . Either or may be entered as the correct answer.

Alternate approach: It’s given that and that for each increase in by , the value of decreases by .
Therefore, when , the value of is , or , of , which can be expressed as .
Since , the value of is . Similarly, when , the value of is of , which
can be expressed as . Since , the value of is . Either or may
be entered as the correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 59d1f4b5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 59d1f4b5

The equation above models the number of members, M, of a gym t years after
the gym opens. Of the following, which equation models the number of
members of the gym q quarter years after the gym opens?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 59d1f4b5 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. In 1 year, there are 4 quarter years, so the number of quarter years, q, is 4 times the number of years,

t ; that is, . This is equivalent to , and substituting this into the expression for M in terms of t gives

Choices B and D are incorrect and may be the result of incorrectly using instead of . (Choices B and D are

nearly the same since is equivalent to , which is approximately .) Choice C is incorrect and may
be the result of incorrectly using and unnecessarily dividing 0.02 by 4.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 281a4f3b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 281a4f3b

A certain college had 3,000 students enrolled in 2015. The college predicts that
after 2015, the number of students enrolled each year will be 2% less than the
number of students enrolled the year before. Which of the following functions
models the relationship between the number of students enrolled, , and the
number of years after 2015, x ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 281a4f3b Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Because the change in the number of students decreases by the same percentage each year, the
relationship between the number of students and the number of years can be modeled with a decreasing exponential
function in the form , where is the number of students, a is the number of students in 2015, r is the
rate of decrease each year, and x is the number of years since 2015. It’s given that 3,000 students were enrolled in 2015
and that the rate of decrease is predicted to be 2%, or 0.02. Substituting these values into the decreasing exponential
function yields , which is equivalent to .

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect and may result from conceptual errors when translating the given information into a
decreasing exponential function.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 72ae8a87
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 72ae8a87

The function gives a company’s predicted annual revenue, in dollars, years after the
company started selling light bulbs online, where . What is the best interpretation of the statement “ is
approximately equal to ” in this context?

years after the company started selling light bulbs online, its predicted annual revenue is approximately
A. dollars.

years after the company started selling light bulbs online, its predicted annual revenue will have increased by a total
B. of approximately dollars.

When the company’s predicted annual revenue is approximately dollars, it is times the predicted annual
C. revenue for the previous year.

When the company’s predicted annual revenue is approximately dollars, it is greater than the predicted
D. annual revenue for the previous year.

ID: 72ae8a87 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that the function gives a company's predicted annual revenue, in
dollars, years after the company started selling light bulbs online. It follows that represents the company's
predicted annual revenue, in dollars, years after the company started selling light bulbs online. Since the value of
is the value of when , it follows that " is approximately equal to " means that is
approximately equal to when . Therefore, the best interpretation of the statement " is approximately
equal to " in this context is years after the company started selling light bulbs online, its predicted annual
revenue is approximately dollars.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 01668cd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 01668cd6

The functions and are defined by the given equations, where . Which of the following equations displays, as a
constant or coefficient, the maximum value of the function it defines, where ?

A. I only

B. II only

C. I and II

D. Neither I nor II

ID: 01668cd6 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. Functions and are both exponential functions with a base of . Since is less than ,
functions and are both decreasing exponential functions. This means that and decrease as increases.
Since and decrease as increases, the maximum value of each function occurs at the least value of for
which the function is defined. It's given that functions and are defined for . Therefore, the maximum value of
each function occurs at . Substituting for in the equation defining yields , which is
equivalent to , or . Therefore, the maximum value of is . Since the equation
doesn't display the value , the equation defining doesn't display the maximum value of .
Substituting for in the equation defining yields , which can be rewritten as
, or , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the maximum value
of is . Since the equation displays the value , the equation defining displays the
maximum value of . Thus, only equation II displays, as a constant or coefficient, the maximum value of the function it
defines.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 100030d9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 100030d9

A rubber ball bounces upward one-half the height that it falls each time it hits the
ground. If the ball was originally dropped from a distance of 20.0 feet above the
ground, what was its maximum height above the ground, in feet, between the
third and fourth time it hit the ground?

ID: 100030d9 Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 2.5. After hitting the ground once, the ball bounces to feet. After hitting the
ground a second time, the ball bounces to feet. After hitting the ground for the third time, the ball
bounces to feet. Note that 2.5 and 5/2 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 09f58996
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 09f58996

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

ID: 09f58996 Answer

Correct Answer: 12

Rationale
The correct answer is . The value of is the value of when . Substituting for in the given
equation yields , which is equivalent to , or . Thus, the value of is
.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 7ba694f3
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7ba694f3

The number of bacteria in a liquid medium doubles every day. There are bacteria in the liquid medium at the start
of an observation. Which represents the number of bacteria, , in the liquid medium days after the start of the
observation?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: 7ba694f3 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since the number of bacteria doubles every day, the relationship between and can be represented
by an exponential equation of the form , where is the number of bacteria at the start of the observation and
the number of bacteria increases by a factor of every day. It’s given that there are bacteria at the start of the
observation. Therefore, . It’s also given that the number of bacteria doubles, or increases by a factor of ,
every day. Therefore, . Substituting for and for in the equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation represents a situation where the number of bacteria is decreasing by half, not
doubling, every day.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c7a187a7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c7a187a7

If the given function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , what is an x-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: c7a187a7 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where .
Thus, for an x-intercept of the graph of function , . Substituting for in the equation
yields . Factoring the right-hand side of this equation yields
. By the zero product property, and . Subtracting from both sides of
the equation yields . Adding to both sides of the equation yields .
Therefore, the x-intercepts of the graph of are and . Of these two x-intercepts, only
is given as a choice.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID ebe4bde0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ebe4bde0

The quadratic function graphed above models a particular measure of plant

diversity as a function of the elevation in a region of Switzerland. According to
the model, which of the following is closest to the elevation, in meters, at which
plant diversity is greatest?

A. 13,500

B. 3,000

C. 1,250

D. 250

ID: ebe4bde0 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. Each point on the graph represents the elevation x, in meters, and the corresponding measure
of plant diversity y in a region of Switzerland. Therefore, the point on the graph with the greatest y-coordinate represents
the location that has the greatest measure of plant diversity in the region. The greatest y-coordinate of any point on the
graph is approximately 13,500. The x-coordinate of that point is approximately 1,250. Therefore, the closest elevation at
which the plant diversity is the greatest is 1,250 meters.

Choice A is incorrect. This value is closest to the greatest y-coordinate of any point on the graph and therefore represents
the greatest measure of plant diversity, not the elevation where the greatest measure of plant diversity occurs. Choice B
is incorrect. At an elevation of 3,000 meters the measure of plant diversity is approximately 4,000. Because there are
points on the graph with greater y-coordinates, 4,000 can’t be the greatest measure of plant diversity, and 3,000 meters
isn’t the elevation at which the greatest measure of plant diversity occurs. Choice D is incorrect. At an elevation of 250
meters, the measure of plant diversity is approximately 11,000. Because there are points on the graph with greater y-
coordinates, 11,000 can’t be the greatest measure of plant diversity and 250 meters isn’t the elevation at which the
greatest measure of plant diversity occurs.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 635f54ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 635f54ee

The surface area of a cube is , where a is a positive constant. Which of

the following gives the perimeter of one face of the cube?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 635f54ee Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale

Choice B is correct. A cube has 6 faces of equal area, so if the total surface area of a cube is , then the area of

one face is . Likewise, the area of one face of a cube is the square of one of its edges; therefore, if the area of one

face is , then the length of one edge of the cube is . Since the perimeter of one face of a cube is four times the

length of one edge, the perimeter is .

Choice A is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is , then the total surface area of the cube is

, which is not . Choice C is incorrect because if the perimeter of one face of the cube is 4a,

then the total surface area of the cube is , which is not . Choice D is incorrect because if the

perimeter of one face of the cube is 6a, then the total surface area of the cube is , which is not

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ef926848
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ef926848

Square P has a side length of inches. Square Q has a perimeter that is inches greater than the perimeter of square
P. The function gives the area of square Q, in square inches. Which of the following defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: ef926848 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. Let represent the side length, in inches, of square P. It follows that the perimeter of square P is
inches. It's given that square Q has a perimeter that is inches greater than the perimeter of square P. Thus, the
perimeter of square Q is inches greater than inches, or inches. Since the perimeter of a square is
times the side length of the square, each side length of Q is , or inches. Since the area of a square is
calculated by multiplying the length of two sides, the area of square Q is , or square
inches. It follows that function is defined by .

Choice B is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Choice C is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Choice D is incorrect. This function represents a square with side lengths inches.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID a26c29f7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a26c29f7

The function is defined by . In the xy-plane, the graph of is the result of shifting the graph of
down units. Which equation defines function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: a26c29f7 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. If the graph of is the result of shifting the graph of down units in the xy-plane,
the function can be defined by an equation of the form . It’s given that and the graph of
is the result of shifting the graph of down units. Substituting for and for in the
equation yields .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation defines a function for which the graph of is the result of shifting the
graph of up, not down, units.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID e1391dd6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: e1391dd6

According to Moore’s law, the number of transistors included on

microprocessors doubles every 2 years. In 1985, a microprocessor was
introduced that had 275,000 transistors. Based on this information, in which of
the following years does Moore’s law estimate the number of transistors to
reach 1.1 million?

A. 1987

B. 1989

C. 1991

D. 1994

ID: e1391dd6 Answer

Rationale

Choice B is correct. Let x be the number of years after 1985. It follows that represents the number of 2-year periods
that will occur within an x-year period. According to Moore’s law, every 2 years, the number of transistors included on

microprocessors is estimated to double. Therefore, x years after 1985, the number of transistors will double times.
Since the number of transistors included on a microprocessor was 275,000, or .275 million, in 1985, the estimated

number of transistors, in millions, included x years after 1985 can be modeled as . The year in which the

number of transistors is estimated to be 1.1 million is represented by the value of x when . Dividing

both sides of this equation by .275 yields , which can be rewritten as . Since the exponential equation

has equal bases on each side, it follows that the exponents must also be equal: . Multiplying both sides of the

equation by 2 yields . Therefore, according to Moore’s law, 4 years after 1985, or in 1989, the number of
transistors included on microprocessors is estimated to reach 1.1 million.

Alternate approach: According to Moore’s law, 2 years after 1985 (in 1987), the number of transistors included on a
microprocessor is estimated to be , or 550,000, and 2 years after 1987 (in 1989), the number of transistors
included on microprocessors is estimated to be , or 1,100,000. Therefore, the year that Moore’s law estimates
the number of transistors on microprocessors to reach 1.1 million is 1989.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect. According to Moore’s law, the number of transistors included on microprocessors is
estimated to reach 550,000 in 1987, 2.2 million in 1991, and about 6.2 million in 1994.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3c600337
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 3c600337

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3c600337 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The value of is the value of when . Substituting for in the given function yields
, or , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of , not .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 3ea87153
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 3ea87153

The function is defined by . For which value of is ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3ea87153 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields .
Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields . Taking the square root of each side of this equation yields
. It follows that when the value of is or . Only is listed among the choices.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID d46da42c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d46da42c

The function f is defined as shown. Which of the following graphs in the xy-
plane could be the graph of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d46da42c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale

Choice D is correct. For the quadratic function , the vertex of the graph is , and because the term is
positive, the vertex is the minimum of the function. Choice D is the only option that meets these conditions.

Choices A, B, and C are incorrect. The vertex of each of these graphs doesn’t correspond to the minimum of the given
function.
Question Difficulty: Easy
Question ID 4209aefe
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4209aefe

The function models the value, in dollars, of a certain bank account by the end of each year from
through , where is the number of years after . Which of the following is the best interpretation of “
is approximately equal to ” in this context?

A. The value of the bank account is estimated to be approximately dollars greater in than in .

B. The value of the bank account is estimated to be approximately dollars in .

C. The value, in dollars, of the bank account is estimated to be approximately times greater in than in .

The value of the bank account is estimated to increase by approximately dollars every years between and
D. .

ID: 4209aefe Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that the function models the value, in dollars, of a certain bank
account by the end of each year from through , where is the number of years after . It follows that
represents the estimated value, in dollars, of the bank account years after . Since the value of is the
value of when , it follows that “ is approximately equal to ” means that is approximately equal
to when . In the given context, this means that the value of the bank account is estimated to be approximately
dollars years after . Therefore, the best interpretation of the statement “ is approximately equal to ”
in this context is the value of the bank account is estimated to be approximately dollars in .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 5bf0f84a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 5bf0f84a

The function above models the height h, in feet, of an object above ground
t seconds after being launched straight up in the air. What does the number 72
represent in the function?

A. The initial height, in feet, of the object

B. The maximum height, in feet, of the object

C. The initial speed, in feet per second, of the object

D. The maximum speed, in feet per second, of the object

ID: 5bf0f84a Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The variable t represents the seconds after the object is launched. Since , this means that
the height, in feet, at 0 seconds, or the initial height, is 72 feet.

Choices B, C, and D are incorrect and may be the result of misinterpreting the function in context.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID c048055c
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: c048055c

A model predicts that the population of Springfield was in . The model also predicts that each year for the
next years, the population increased by of the previous year's population. Which equation best represents this
model, where is the number of years after , for ?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: c048055c Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that a model predicts the population of Springfield in was . The model also
predicts that each year for the next years, the population increased by of the previous year's population. The
predicted population in one of these years can be found by multiplying the predicted population from the previous year by
. Since the predicted population in was , the predicted population year later is . The
predicted population years later is this value times , which is , or . The
predicted population years later is this value times , or . More generally, the predicted population, ,
years after is represented by the equation .

Choice A is incorrect. Substituting for in this equation indicates the predicted population in was rather
than .

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for in this equation indicates the predicted population in was rather
than .

Choice C is incorrect. This equation indicates the predicted population is decreasing, rather than increasing, by each
year.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 70ebd3d0
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 70ebd3d0

The function N defined above can be used to model the number of species of
brachiopods at various ocean depths d, where d is in hundreds of meters. Which
of the following does the model predict?

A. For every increase in depth by 1 meter, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 115.

B. For every increase in depth by 1 meter, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 10%.

C. For every increase in depth by 100 meters, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 115.

D. For every increase in depth by 100 meters, the number of brachiopod species decreases by 10%.

ID: 70ebd3d0 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The function N is exponential, so it follows that changes by a fixed percentage for each
increase in d by 1. Since d is measured in hundreds of meters, it also follows that the number of brachiopod species
changes by a fixed percentage for each increase in ocean depth by 100 meters. Since the base of the exponent in the
model is 0.90, which is less than 1, the number of brachiopod species decreases as the ocean depth increases.
Specifically, the number of brachiopod species at a depth of meters is 90% of the number of brachiopod species
at a depth of d meters. This means that for each increase in ocean depth by 100 meters, the number of brachiopod
species decreases by 10%.

Choices A and C are incorrect. These describe situations where the number of brachiopod species are decreasing linearly
rather than exponentially. Choice B is incorrect and results from interpreting the decrease in the number of brachiopod
species as 10% for every 1-meter increase in ocean depth rather than for every 100-meter increase in ocean depth.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID de39858a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: de39858a

The function is defined by , where and are positive constants. The graph of in the -
plane passes through the points ( , ) and ( , ). What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: de39858a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It’s given that the function is defined by and that the graph of in the xy-
plane passes through the points and . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields .
Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Subtracting from both
sides of this equation yields , which can be rewritten as . Taking the square root of both sides of this
equation yields and , but because it’s given that is a positive constant, must equal . Because the
value of is and the value of is , the value of is , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from finding the value of rather than the value of .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from correctly finding the value of as , but multiplying it by the y-value in the first
ordered pair rather than by the value of .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1178f2df
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1178f2df

The table shows three values of and their corresponding values of , where and is a quadratic
function. What is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane?

ID: 1178f2df Answer

Correct Answer: -2112

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that is a quadratic function. It follows that can be defined by an equation of
the form , where , , and are constants. It's also given that the table shows three values of
and their corresponding values of , where . Substituting for in this equation yields
. This equation represents a quadratic relationship between and , where is either the
maximum or the minimum value of , which occurs when . For quadratic relationships between and , the
maximum or minimum value of occurs at the value of halfway between any two values of that have the same
corresponding value of . The table shows that x-values of and correspond to the same y-value, . Since is
halfway between and , the maximum or minimum value of occurs at an x-value of . The table shows that when
, . It follows that and . Subtracting from both sides of the equation yields
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields , or
. The value of can be found by substituting any x-value and its corresponding y-value for and ,
respectively, in this equation. Substituting for and for in this equation yields , or
. Subtracting from both sides of this equation yields , or . Dividing both
sides of this equation by yields . Substituting for , for , and for in the equation
yields . The y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane is
the point on the graph where . Substituting for in the equation yields
, or . This is equivalent to , so the y-intercept of the
graph of in the xy-plane is . Thus, the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in
the xy-plane is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 45df91ee
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 45df91ee

If the given function is graphed in the xy-plane, where , what is the y-intercept of the graph?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 45df91ee Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. The x-coordinate of any y-intercept of a graph is . Substituting for in the given equation yields
. Since any nonzero number raised to the power is , this gives , or . The
y-intercept of the graph is, therefore, the point .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 97158b3a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 97158b3a

The area A, in square centimeters, of a rectangular painting can be represented by the expression , where
is the width, in centimeters, of the painting. Which expression represents the length, in centimeters, of the painting?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 97158b3a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that the expression represents the area, in square centimeters, of a rectangular
painting, where is the width, in centimeters, of the painting. The area of a rectangle can be calculated by multiplying its
length by its width. It follows that the length, in centimeters, of the painting is represented by the expression .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression represents the width, in centimeters, of the painting, not its length, in centimeters.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the difference between the length, in centimeters, and the width, in centimeters, of the
painting, not its length, in centimeters.

Choice D is incorrect. This expression represents the area, in square centimeters, of the painting, not its length, in
centimeters.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 84e8cc72
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 84e8cc72

A quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in terms of the time, in seconds, after the
object is launched off an elevated surface. The model indicates the object has an initial height of feet above the
ground and reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after being launched. Based on the
model, what is the height, in feet, of the object above the ground seconds after being launched?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 84e8cc72 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that a quadratic function models the height, in feet, of an object above the ground in terms
of the time, in seconds, after the object is launched off an elevated surface. This quadratic function can be defined by an
equation of the form , where is the height of the object seconds after it was launched,
and , , and are constants such that the function reaches its maximum value, , when . Since the model
indicates the object reaches its maximum height of feet above the ground seconds after being launched,
reaches its maximum value, , when . Therefore, and . Substituting for and for
in the function yields . Since the model indicates the object has an
initial height of feet above the ground, the value of is when . Substituting for and for in the
equation yields , or . Subtracting from
both sides of this equation yields . Dividing both sides of this equation by yields . Therefore,
the model can be represented by the equation . Substituting for in this equation
yields , or . Therefore, based on the model, seconds after being
launched, the height of the object above the ground is feet.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID d8ace155
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: d8ace155

A company opens an account with an initial balance of . The account earns interest, and no additional
deposits or withdrawals are made. The account balance is given by an exponential function , where is the account
balance, in dollars, years after the account is opened. The account balance after years is . Which
equation could define ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: d8ace155 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. Since it's given that the account balance, , in dollars, after years can be modeled by an
exponential function, it follows that function can be written in the form , where is the initial value of the
function and is a constant related to the growth of the function. It's given that the initial balance of the account is
, so it follows that the initial value of the function, or , must be . Substituting for in
the equation yields . It's given that the account balance after years, or when
, is . It follows that , or . Dividing each side of the
equation by yields . Taking the th root of both sides of this

equation yields , or is approximately equal to . Substituting for in the equation

yields , so the equation could define .

Choice B is incorrect. Substituting for in this function indicates an initial balance of , rather than
.

Choice C is incorrect. Substituting for in this function indicates an initial balance of , rather than
. Additionally, this function indicates the account balance is decreasing, rather than increasing, over time.

Choice D is incorrect. This function indicates the account balance is decreasing, rather than increasing, over time.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID dba7432e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: dba7432e

x f(x)

0 5

The table above gives the values of the function f for some values of x. Which
of the following equations could define f ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: dba7432e Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Each choice has a function with coefficient 5 and base 2, so the exponents must be analyzed. When
the input value of x increases, the output value of f(x) decreases, so the exponent must be negative. An exponent of –x

yields the values in the table: , , , and .

Choices A and B are incorrect and may result from choosing equations that yield an increasing, rather than decreasing,
output value of f(x) when the input value of x increases. Choice C is incorrect and may result from choosing an equation
that doesn’t yield the values in the table.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID f1c81b3b
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f1c81b3b

The exponential function is defined by , where is a positive constant. If , what is the

value of ?

ID: f1c81b3b Answer

Correct Answer: 11875

Rationale
The correct answer is . It's given that the exponential function is defined by , where is a
positive constant, and . It follows that when , . Substituting for and for
in the given equation yields . Dividing each side of this equation by yields . Taking the
cube root of both sides of this equation gives . Substituting for and for in the equation
yields , or . Therefore, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID cd358b89
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: cd358b89

Function is defined by . Function is defined by . The graph of

in the xy-plane has x-intercepts at , , and , where , , and are distinct constants. What is the
value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: cd358b89 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that . Since , it follows that
. Combining like terms yields .
Therefore, . The x-intercepts of a graph in the xy-plane are the points where . The x-
coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane can be found by solving the equation
. Applying the zero product property to this equation yields three equations: , ,
and . Solving each of these equations for yields , , and , respectively. Therefore, the
x-intercepts of the graph of are , , and . It follows that the values of , , and are , ,
and . Thus, the value of is , which is equal to .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice D is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4b642eef
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4b642eef

The total distance d, in meters, traveled by an object moving in a straight line can
be modeled by a quadratic function that is defined in terms of t, where t is the
time in seconds. At a time of 10.0 seconds, the total distance traveled by the
object is 50.0 meters, and at a time of 20.0 seconds, the total distance traveled
by the object is 200.0 meters. If the object was at a distance of 0 meters when
, then what is the total distance traveled, in meters, by the object after 30.0
seconds?

ID: 4b642eef Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 450. The quadratic equation that models this situation can be written in the form ,
where a, b, and c are constants. It’s given that the distance, d, the object traveled was 0 meters when seconds.

These values can be substituted into the equation to solve for a, b, and c: . Therefore, , and it

follows that . Since it’s also given that d is 50 when t is 10 and d is 200 when t is 20, these values for d and t

can be substituted to create a system of two linear equations: and , or

and . Subtracting the first equation from the second equation yields , or .

Substituting for a in the first equation and solving for b yields . Therefore, the equation that represents this

situation is . Evaluating this function when seconds yields , or meters.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b7cd6ca6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b7cd6ca6

The equation gives the estimated number of employees at a restaurant, where is the number of years
since the restaurant opened. Which of the following is the best interpretation of the number in this context?

A. The estimated number of employees when the restaurant opened

B. The increase in the estimated number of employees each year

C. The number of years the restaurant has been open

D. The percent increase in the estimated number of employees each year

ID: b7cd6ca6 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. For an exponential function of the form , where and are constants, the initial value
of the function—that is, the value of the function when —is and the value of the function increases by a factor of
each time increases by . Since the function gives the estimated number of employees at a restaurant
and is the number of years since the restaurant opened, the best interpretation of the number in this context is the
estimated number of employees when , or when the restaurant opened.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors. Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 0aaef7aa
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0aaef7aa

The function is defined by . What is the value of when is equal to ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0aaef7aa Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale
Choice A is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields . Dividing each
side of this equation by yields . Taking the cube root of each side of this equation yields . Therefore,
when is equal to , the value of is .

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 6d9e01a2
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6d9e01a2

The given equation defines the function . For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 6d9e01a2 Answer

Correct Answer: 25/4, 6.25

Rationale
The correct answer is . The given equation can be rewritten in the form , where , , and are
constants. When , is the value of for which reaches its minimum. The given equation can be rewritten as
, which is equivalent to . This equation

can be rewritten as , or , which is

equivalent to . Therefore, , so the value of for which reaches its minimum is

. Note that 25/4 and 6.25 are examples of ways to enter a correct answer.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 9f2ecade
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 9f2ecade

The function h is defined above, where a, b, and c are integer constants. If the
zeros of the function are 6, and 7, what is the value of c ?

ID: 9f2ecade Answer

Rationale
The correct answer is 210. Since , 6, and 7 are zeros of the function, the function can be rewritten as

. Expanding the function yields . Thus, , , and

. Therefore, the value of c is 210.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 2cf7f039
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 2cf7f039

The function is defined by . For what value of does ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 2cf7f039 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that . Substituting for in this equation yields . Dividing
both sides of this equation by yields . This can be rewritten as . Squaring both sides of this equation
yields . Therefore, the value of for which is .

Choice A is incorrect. If , , not . Choice B is incorrect. If , , not .

Choice D is incorrect. If , , which is equivalent to , not .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 0e61101e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 0e61101e

The function is defined by the given equation. If , which of the following equations defines the
function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 0e61101e Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It’s given that and . Substituting for in gives
. Rewriting this equation using properties of exponents gives , which is
equivalent to . Multiplying and in this equation gives . Since
, .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 04bbce67
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 04bbce67

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

ID: 04bbce67 Answer

Correct Answer: -7

Rationale
The correct answer is . For a quadratic function defined by an equation of the form , where ,
, and are constants and , the function reaches its minimum when . In the given function, , ,
and . Therefore, the value of for which reaches its minimum is .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 79ba511a
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 79ba511a

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 79ba511a Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. The value of is the value of when . Substituting for in the given function yields
, or , which is equivalent to . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of when , rather than .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 6f5540a5
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 6f5540a5

Kao measured the temperature of a cup of hot chocolate placed in a room with a
constant temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit (°F). The temperature of the hot
chocolate was 185°F at 6:00 p.m. when it started cooling. The temperature of
the hot chocolate was 156°F at 6:05 p.m. and 135°F at 6:10 p.m. The hot
chocolate’s temperature continued to decrease. Of the following functions,
which best models the temperature , in degrees Fahrenheit, of Kao’s hot
chocolate m minutes after it started cooling?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 6f5540a5 Answer

Correct Answer: D
Rationale
Choice D is correct. The hot chocolate cools from 185°F over time, never going lower than the room temperature, 70°F.
Since the base of the exponent in this function, 0.75, is less than 1, decreases as time increases. Using the

function, the temperature, in °F, at 6:00 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to . The

temperature, in °F, at 6:05 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to , which is approximately

156°F. Finally, the temperature, in °F, at 6:10 p.m. can be estimated as and is equal to , which is
approximately 135°F. Since these three given values of m and their corresponding values for can be verified using

the function , this is the best function out of the given choices to model the temperature of
Kao’s hot chocolate after m minutes.

Choice A is incorrect because the base of the exponent, , results in the value of increasing over time rather
than decreasing. Choice B is incorrect because when m is large enough, becomes less than 70. Choice C is
incorrect because the maximum value of at 6:00 p.m. is 115°F, not 185°F.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 50418728
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 50418728

The graph of the polynomial function , where , is shown. The y-intercept of the graph is . What is the
value of ?

ID: 50418728 Answer

Correct Answer: -3

Rationale
The correct answer is . The y-intercept of the graph of a function in the xy-plane is the point where the graph crosses
the y-axis. The graph of the polynomial function shown crosses the y-axis at the point . It's given that the y-
intercept of the graph is . Thus, the value of is .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID f5e8ccf1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: f5e8ccf1

The function f is defined above. Which of the following is NOT an x-intercept of

the graph of the function in the xy-plane?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: f5e8ccf1 Answer

Correct Answer: B
Rationale
Choice B is correct. The graph of the function f in the xy-plane has x-intercepts at the points , where .

Substituting 0 for in the given equation yields . By the zero product property, if
, then , , or . Solving each of these linear equations for x, it

follows that , , and , respectively. This means that the graph of the function f in the xy-plane has

three x-intercepts: , , and . Therefore, isn’t an x-intercept of the graph of the function f.
Alternate approach: Substitution may be used. Since by definition an x-intercept of any graph is a point in the form
where k is a constant, and since all points in the options are in this form, it need only be checked whether the points in

the options lie on the graph of the function f. Substituting for x and 0 for in the given equation yields

, or . Therefore, the point doesn’t lie on the graph of the

function f and can’t be an x-intercept of the graph.

Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because each of these points is an x-intercept of the graph of the function f in the xy-
plane. By definition, an x-intercept is a point on the graph of the form , where k is a constant. Substituting for x
and 0 for in the given equation yields , or . Since this is a true statement, the
point lies on the graph of the function f and is an x-intercept of the graph. Performing similar substitution using

the points and also yields the true statement , illustrating that these points also lie on the graph of the
function f and are x-intercepts of the graph.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 1fe10d97
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1fe10d97

The given function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Which of the following functions best
models the population of Lowell months after the census?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1fe10d97 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the function models the population of Lowell years after a census. Since there are
months in a year, months after the census is equivalent to years after the census. Substituting for in the
equation yields . Therefore, the function that best models the
population of Lowell months after the census is .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID b73ee6cf
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: b73ee6cf

The population of a town is currently 50,000, and the population is estimated to

increase each year by 3% from the previous year. Which of the following
equations can be used to estimate the number of years, t, it will take for the
population of the town to reach 60,000 ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: b73ee6cf Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Stating that the population will increase each year by 3% from the previous year is equivalent to
saying that the population each year will be 103% of the population the year before. Since the initial population is 50,000,
the population after t years is given by 50,000(1.03)t. It follows that the equation 60,000 = 50,000(1.03)t can be used to
estimate the number of years it will take for the population to reach 60,000.

Choice A is incorrect. This equation models how long it will take the population to decrease from 60,000 to 50,000, which
is impossible given the growth factor. Choice B is incorrect and may result from misinterpreting a 3% growth as growth
by a factor of 3. Additionally, this equation attempts to model how long it will take the population to decrease from
60,000 to 50,000. Choice C is incorrect and may result from misunderstanding how to model percent growth by
multiplying the initial amount by a factor greater than 1.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 08d03fe4
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 08d03fe4

For the exponential function , the value of is , where is a constant. Which of the following equivalent forms of
the function shows the value of as the coefficient or the base?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 08d03fe4 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. For the form of the function in choice C, , the value of can be found as
, which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, , which is shown in as
the coefficient.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7eed640d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7eed640d

The quadratic function above models the height above the ground h, in feet, of a
projectile x seconds after it had been launched vertically. If is graphed
in the xy-plane, which of the following represents the real-life meaning of the
positive x-intercept of the graph?

A. The initial height of the projectile

B. The maximum height of the projectile

C. The time at which the projectile reaches its maximum height

D. The time at which the projectile hits the ground

ID: 7eed640d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The positive x-intercept of the graph of is a point for which . Since
models the height above the ground, in feet, of the projectile, a y-value of 0 must correspond to the height of the projectile
when it is 0 feet above ground or, in other words, when the projectile is on the ground. Since x represents the time since
the projectile was launched, it follows that the positive x-intercept, , represents the time at which the projectile hits
the ground.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from misidentifying the y-intercept as a positive x-intercept. Choice B is incorrect
and may result from misidentifying the y-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an x-intercept. Choice C is
incorrect and may result from misidentifying the x-value of the vertex of the graph of the function as an x-intercept.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 3918e8bc
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 3918e8bc

An object is kicked from a platform. The equation represents this situation, where is the height
of the object above the ground, in meters, seconds after it is kicked. Which number represents the height, in meters,
from which the object was kicked?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 3918e8bc Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It’s given that the equation represents this situation, where is the height, in
meters, of the object seconds after it is kicked. It follows that the height, in meters, from which the object was kicked is
the value of when . Substituting for in the equation yields ,
or . Therefore, the object was kicked from a height of meters.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID de362c2f
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: de362c2f

The function is defined by . What is the value of ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: de362c2f Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that the function is defined by . Substituting for in yields
, which is equivalent to , or . Therefore, the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice B is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Choice C is incorrect. This is the value of if .

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 43926bd9
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 43926bd9

For the exponential function f, the table above shows several values of x and their corresponding values of ,

where a is a constant greater than 1. If k is a constant and , what is the value of k ?

ID: 43926bd9 Answer

Rationale

The correct answer is 8. The values of for the exponential function f shown in the table increase by a factor of

for each increase of 1 in x. This relationship can be represented by the equation , where b is a constant. It’s

given that when , . Substituting 2 for x and for into yields . Since

, it follows that . Thus, an equation that defines the function f is . It follows that the

value of k such that can be found by solving the equation , which yields .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 044c1cb7
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 044c1cb7

Which table gives three values of and their corresponding values of for the given function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 044c1cb7 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It′s given that . Each table gives , , and as the three given values of .
Substituting for in the equation yields , or . Substituting for in the
equation yields , or . Finally, substituting for in the equation
yields , or . Therefore, is when is , is when is , and
is when is . Choice B is a table with these values of and their corresponding values of .

Choice A is incorrect. This is a table of values for the function , not .

Choice C is incorrect. This is a table of values for the function , not .

Choice D is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 4d037075
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4d037075

The rational function is defined by an equation in the form , where and are constants. The partial
graph of is shown. If , which equation could define function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4d037075 Answer

Correct Answer: C
Rationale
Choice C is correct. It's given that and that the graph shown is a partial graph of . Substituting
for in the equation yields . The graph passes through the point . Substituting
for and for in the equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields
, or . The graph also passes through the point . Substituting for and
for in the equation yields . Multiplying each side of this equation by yields
, or . Substituting for in this equation yields . Adding to
each side of this equation yields . Subtracting from each side of this equation yields . Dividing
each side of this equation by yields . Substituting for in the equation yields , or
. Substituting for and for in the equation yields . It's given that
. Substituting for in the equation yields , which is equivalent
to . It follows that .

Choice A is incorrect. This could define function if .

Choice B is incorrect. This could define function if .

Choice D is incorrect. This could define function if .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 7e5a3640
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 7e5a3640

Bacteria are growing in a liquid growth medium. There were cells per milliliter during an initial observation. The
number of cells per milliliter doubles every hours. How many cells per milliliter will there be hours after the initial
observation?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 7e5a3640 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Let represent the number of cells per milliliter hours after the initial observation. Since the
number of cells per milliliter doubles every hours, the relationship between and can be represented by an
exponential equation of the form , where is the number of cells per milliliter during the initial observation
and the number of cells per milliliter increases by a factor of every hours. It’s given that there were cells per
milliliter during the initial observation. Therefore, . It’s also given that the number of cells per milliliter
doubles, or increases by a factor of , every hours. Therefore, and . Substituting for , for , and
for in the equation yields . The number of cells per milliliter there will be hours after
the initial observation is the value of in this equation when . Substituting for in the equation
yields , or . This is equivalent to , or
. Therefore, hours after the initial observation, there will be cells per milliliter.

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID 4d7064a6
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4d7064a6

The function is defined by the given equation. For what value of does reach its minimum?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4d7064a6 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that , which can be rewritten as .
Since the coefficient of the -term is positive, the graph of in the xy-plane opens upward and reaches its
minimum value at its vertex. The x-coordinate of the vertex is the value of such that reaches its minimum. For an
equation in the form , where , , and are constants, the x-coordinate of the vertex is . For
the equation , , , and . It follows that the x-coordinate of the vertex is
, or . Therefore, reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Alternate approach: The value of for the vertex of a parabola is the x-value of the midpoint between the two x-
intercepts of the parabola. Since it’s given that , it follows that the two x-intercepts of the
graph of in the xy-plane occur when and , or at the points and . The
midpoint between two points, and , is . Therefore, the midpoint between and
is , or . It follows that reaches its minimum when the value of is .

Choice A is incorrect. This is the y-coordinate of the y-intercept of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice B is incorrect. This is one of the x-coordinates of the x-intercepts of the graph of in the xy-plane.

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 4993b828
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 4993b828

The area , in square centimeters, of a rectangular cutting board can be represented by the expression , where
is the width, in centimeters, of the cutting board. Which expression represents the length, in centimeters, of the cutting
board?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 4993b828 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. It's given that the expression represents the area, in square centimeters, of a rectangular
cutting board, where is the width, in centimeters, of the cutting board. The area of a rectangle can be calculated by
multiplying its length by its width. It follows that the length, in centimeters, of the cutting board is represented by the
expression .

Choice A is incorrect. This expression represents the area, in square centimeters, of the cutting board, not its length, in
centimeters.

Choice B is incorrect. This expression represents the width, in centimeters, of the cutting board, not its length.

Choice C is incorrect. This is the difference between the length, in centimeters, and the width, in centimeters, of the
cutting board, not its length, in centimeters.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a8ae0d22
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a8ae0d22

Two variables, and , are related such that for each increase of in the value of , the value of increases by a factor
of . When , . Which equation represents this relationship?

A. msup

B. msup

C. msup

D. msup

ID: a8ae0d22 Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. Since the value of increases by a constant factor, , for each increase of in the value of , the
relationship between and is exponential. An exponential relationship between and can be represented by an
equation of the form , where is the value of when and increases by a factor of for each increase
of in the value of . Since when , . Since increases by a factor of for each increase of in
the value of , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields . Thus, the
equation represents the relationship between and .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Choice B is incorrect. This equation represents a relationship where for each increase of in the value of , the value of
increases by a factor of , not , and when , is equal to , not .

Choice C is incorrect and may result from conceptual errors.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1853bb35
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1853bb35

For the function , the value of decreases by for every increase in the value of by . If , which
equation defines ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 1853bb35 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Since the value of decreases by a fixed percentage, , for every increase in the value of by
, the function is a decreasing exponential function. A decreasing exponential function can be written in the form
, where is the value of and the value of decreases by for every increase in the
value of by . If , then . Since the value of decreases by for every increase in the value of
by , . Substituting for and for in the equation yields ,
which is equivalent to , or .

Choice A is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from conceptual or calculation errors.

Choice D is incorrect. For this function, the value of increases, rather than decreases, by for every increase in
the value of by .

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 981aca65
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 981aca65

In the given function , is a constant. The graph of function in the xy-plane, where , is translated units
down and units to the right to produce the graph of . Which equation defines function ?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 981aca65 Answer

Correct Answer: B

Rationale
Choice B is correct. It's given that the graph of is produced by translating the graph of units down
and units to the right in the xy-plane. Therefore, function can be defined by an equation in the form
. Function is defined by the equation , where is a constant. Substituting
for in the equation yields . Substituting for in
the equation yields , or . Therefore, the equation that
defines function is .

Choice A is incorrect. This equation defines a function whose graph is produced by translating the graph of
units down and units to the left, not units down and units to the right.

Choice C is incorrect. This equation defines a function whose graph is produced by translating the graph of
units to the left, not units down and units to the right.

Choice D is incorrect. This equation defines a function whose graph is produced by translating the graph of
units to the right, not units down and units to the right.

Question Difficulty: Medium

Question ID a7711fe8
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: a7711fe8

What is the minimum value of the function f

defined by ?

A.

B.

C. 2

D. 4

ID: a7711fe8 Answer

Correct Answer: A

Rationale

Choice A is correct. The given quadratic function f is in vertex form, , where is the vertex of the
graph of in the xy-plane. Therefore, the vertex of the graph of is . In addition, the y-coordinate
of the vertex represents either the minimum or maximum value of a quadratic function, depending on whether the graph
of the function opens upward or downward. Since the leading coefficient of f (the coefficient of the term ) is 1,
which is positive, the graph of opens upward. It follows that at , the minimum value of the function f is
.

Choice B is incorrect and may result from making a sign error and from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice C is
incorrect and may result from using the x-coordinate of the vertex. Choice D is incorrect and may result from making a
sign error.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID 1a722d7d
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 1a722d7d

Let the function p be defined as , where c is a constant.

If , what is the value of ?

A. 10.00

B. 10.25

C. 10.75

D. 11.00

ID: 1a722d7d Answer

Correct Answer: D

Rationale
Choice D is correct. The value of p(12) depends on the value of the constant c, so the value of c must first be determined.
It is given that p(c) = 10. Based on the definition of p, it follows that:

This means that for all values of x. Therefore:

Choice A is incorrect. It is the value of p(8), not p(12). Choices B and C are incorrect. If one of these values were correct,
then x = 12 and the selected value of p(12) could be substituted into the equation to solve for c. However, the values of c
that result from choices B and C each result in p(c) < 10.

Question Difficulty: Hard

Question ID ee05c84e
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: ee05c84e

The function f is defined above. What is

the value of ?

A. 250

B. 500

C. 750

D. 2,000

ID: ee05c84e Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale
Choice C is correct. Adding the like terms x and yields the equation . Substituting 20 for x
yields . The product is equal to 25, and the difference is equal to 30.
Substituting these values in the given equation gives , and multiplying 25 by 30 results in .

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from conceptual or computational errors when finding the value of
.

Question Difficulty: Easy

Question ID 5c00c2c1
Assessment Test Domain Skill Difficulty

SAT Math Advanced Math Nonlinear functions

ID: 5c00c2c1

There were no jackrabbits in Australia before 1788 when 24 jackrabbits were

introduced. By 1920 the population of jackrabbits had reached 10 billion. If the
population had grown exponentially, this would correspond to a 16.2% increase,
on average, in the population each year. Which of the following functions best
models the population of jackrabbits t years after 1788?

A.

B.

C.

D.

ID: 5c00c2c1 Answer

Correct Answer: C

Rationale

Choice C is correct. This exponential growth model can be written in the form , where is the
population t years after 1788, A is the initial population, and r is the yearly growth rate, expressed as a decimal. Since
there were 24 jackrabbits in Australia in 1788, . Since the number of jackrabbits increased by an average of 16.2%

each year, . Therefore, the equation that best models this situation is .

Choices A, B, and D are incorrect and may result from misinterpreting the form of an exponential growth model.

Question Difficulty: Medium