You can see that taking a guess is a quick and efficient way to solve this particular SAT math problem. If this confuses you, you can simply avoid this algebra by using the strategy of taking a guess! The number of pigs is x + 2, and so “three times the number of pigs” is 3( x + 2) = 3 x + 6. Substituting 2 in for x gives 18 which is answer choice (E).īe warned that many students incorrectly interpret “three times the number of pigs” as 3 x + 2. So some possible totals are 13, 18, 23, … which we get by substituting in the numbers 1, 2, 3, … for x. If we let x represent the number of cows, then the number of pigs is x + 2, and the number of chickens is 3( x + 2). Let’s see what happens when we try to solve this algebraically: Note: We were pretty unlucky to have to take 3 guesses before getting the answer, but even so, not too much time was used. Thus, the total we get is 2 + 4 + 12 = 18 animals. So Bill must have 2 cows, 2 + 2 = 4 pigs, and 3♴ = 12 chickens. It follows that the total number of animals is 1 + 3 + 9 = 13, too small. So let’s guess lower and say that Bill has 1 cow. Then he has 1 + 2 = 3 pigs, and 3♳ = 9 chickens. So the total number of animals is 3 + 5 + 15 = 23. He then has 3 + 2 = 5 pigs, and also 3♵ = 15 chickens.

Let’s take a guess and say that Bill has 3 cows.

The number of chickens he has is three times the number of pigs, and the number of pigs he has is 2 more than the number of cows. Which of the following could be the total number of these animals? Let’s see this simple technique in action with an appropriate math problem.īill has cows, pigs and chickens on his farm. Keep trying until you zero in on the correct value. Try to make as reasonable a guess as possible, but don’t over think it. But that doesn’t mean you can’t guess your own numbers. Sometimes the answer choices themselves cannot be substituted in for the unknown or unknowns in the problem. This strategy is extremely simple to apply and it will often allow you to avoid messy algebraic computations. This week I would like to discuss another very basic math strategy for standardized tests such as the ACT and SAT.

Cow and chicken math