Squares - ISEE Upper Level: Quantitative Reasoning
Card 1 of 224
The perimeter of a square is one yard. Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of the square
(b)
square foot
The perimeter of a square is one yard. Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of the square
(b) square foot
Tap to reveal answer
One yard is equal to three feet, so the length of one side of a square with this perimeter is
feet. The area of the square is
square feet.
, making (a) greater.
One yard is equal to three feet, so the length of one side of a square with this perimeter is feet. The area of the square is
square feet.
, making (a) greater.
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Square 1 is inscribed inside a circle. The circle is inscribed inside Square 2.
Which is the greater quantity?
(a) Twice the area of Square 1
(b) The area of Square 2
Square 1 is inscribed inside a circle. The circle is inscribed inside Square 2.
Which is the greater quantity?
(a) Twice the area of Square 1
(b) The area of Square 2
Tap to reveal answer
Let
be the sidelength of Square 1. Then the length of a diagonal of this square - which is
times this sidelength, or
, by the
Theorem - is the same as the diameter of this circle, which, in turn, is equal to the sidelength of Square 2.
Therefore, Square 1 has area
, and Square 2 has area
, twice that of Square 1.
Let be the sidelength of Square 1. Then the length of a diagonal of this square - which is
times this sidelength, or
, by the
Theorem - is the same as the diameter of this circle, which, in turn, is equal to the sidelength of Square 2.
Therefore, Square 1 has area , and Square 2 has area
, twice that of Square 1.
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Which is the greater quantity?
(A) The area of a square with sidelength one foot
(B) The area of a rectangle with length nine inches and height fourteen inches
Which is the greater quantity?
(A) The area of a square with sidelength one foot
(B) The area of a rectangle with length nine inches and height fourteen inches
Tap to reveal answer
The area of a square is the square of its sidelength, which here is 12 inches:
square inches.
The area of a rectangle is its length multiplied by its height, which, respectively, are 9 inches and 14 inches:
square inches.
The square has the greater area.
The area of a square is the square of its sidelength, which here is 12 inches:
square inches.
The area of a rectangle is its length multiplied by its height, which, respectively, are 9 inches and 14 inches:
square inches.
The square has the greater area.
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A square lawn has sidelength twenty yards. Give its area in square feet.
A square lawn has sidelength twenty yards. Give its area in square feet.
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20 yards converts to
feet. The area of a square is the square of its sidelength, so the area in square feet is
square feet.
20 yards converts to feet. The area of a square is the square of its sidelength, so the area in square feet is
square feet.
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Four squares have sidelengths one meter, 120 centimeters, 140 centimeters, and 140 centimeters. Which is the greater quantity?
(A) The mean of their areas
(B) The median of their areas
Four squares have sidelengths one meter, 120 centimeters, 140 centimeters, and 140 centimeters. Which is the greater quantity?
(A) The mean of their areas
(B) The median of their areas
Tap to reveal answer
The areas of the squares are:
square centimeters (one meter being 100 centimeters)
square centimeters
square centimeters
square centimeters
The mean of these four areas is their sum divided by four:

square centimeters.
The median is the mean of the two middle values, or
square centimeters.
The median, (B), is greater.
The areas of the squares are:
square centimeters (one meter being 100 centimeters)
square centimeters
square centimeters
square centimeters
The mean of these four areas is their sum divided by four:
square centimeters.
The median is the mean of the two middle values, or
square centimeters.
The median, (B), is greater.
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Rectangle A and Square B both have perimeter 2 meters. Rectangle A has width 25 centimeters. The area of Rectangle A is what percent of the area of Square B?
Rectangle A and Square B both have perimeter 2 meters. Rectangle A has width 25 centimeters. The area of Rectangle A is what percent of the area of Square B?
Tap to reveal answer
The perimeter of a rectangle can be given by the formula

Rectangle A has perimeter 2 meters, which is equal to 200 centimeters, and width 25 centimeters, so the length is:





The dimensions of Rectangle A are 75 centimeters and 25 centimeters, so its area is
square centimeters.
The sidelength of a square is one-fourth its perimeter, which here is
centimeters; its area is therefore
square centimeters.
The area of Rectangle A is therefore

that of Square B.
The perimeter of a rectangle can be given by the formula
Rectangle A has perimeter 2 meters, which is equal to 200 centimeters, and width 25 centimeters, so the length is:
The dimensions of Rectangle A are 75 centimeters and 25 centimeters, so its area is
square centimeters.
The sidelength of a square is one-fourth its perimeter, which here is
centimeters; its area is therefore
square centimeters.
The area of Rectangle A is therefore
that of Square B.
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The sidelength of Square A is three-sevenths that of Square B. What is the ratio of the area of Square B to that of Square A?
The sidelength of Square A is three-sevenths that of Square B. What is the ratio of the area of Square B to that of Square A?
Tap to reveal answer
Since the ratio is the same regardless of the sidelengths, then for simplicity's sake, assume the sidelength of Square B is 7. The area of Square B is therefore the square of this, or 49.
Then the sidelength of Square A is three-sevenths of 7, or 3. Its area is the square of 3, or 9.
The ratio of the area of Square B to that of Square A is therefore 49 to 9.
Since the ratio is the same regardless of the sidelengths, then for simplicity's sake, assume the sidelength of Square B is 7. The area of Square B is therefore the square of this, or 49.
Then the sidelength of Square A is three-sevenths of 7, or 3. Its area is the square of 3, or 9.
The ratio of the area of Square B to that of Square A is therefore 49 to 9.
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The lengths of the sides of ten squares form an arithmetic sequence. One side of the smallest square measures sixty centimeters; one side of the second-smallest square measures one meter.
Give the area of the largest square, rounded to the nearest square meter.
The lengths of the sides of ten squares form an arithmetic sequence. One side of the smallest square measures sixty centimeters; one side of the second-smallest square measures one meter.
Give the area of the largest square, rounded to the nearest square meter.
Tap to reveal answer
Let
be the lengths of the sides of the squares in meters.
and
, so their common difference is

The arithmetic sequence formula is

The length of a side of the largest square - square 10 - can be found by substituting
:

The largest square has sides of length 4.2 meters, so its area is the square of this, or
square meters.
Of the choices, 18 square meters is closest.
Let be the lengths of the sides of the squares in meters.
and
, so their common difference is
The arithmetic sequence formula is
The length of a side of the largest square - square 10 - can be found by substituting :
The largest square has sides of length 4.2 meters, so its area is the square of this, or square meters.
Of the choices, 18 square meters is closest.
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The areas of six squares form an arithmetic sequence. The smallest square has perimeter 16; the second smallest square has perimeter 20. Give the area of the largest of the six squares.
The areas of six squares form an arithmetic sequence. The smallest square has perimeter 16; the second smallest square has perimeter 20. Give the area of the largest of the six squares.
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The two smallest squares have perimeters 16 and 20, so their sidelengths are one fourth of these, or, respectively, 4 and 5. Their areas are the squares of these, or, respectively, 16 and 25. Therefore, in the arithmetic sequence,


and the common difference is
.
The area of the
th smallest square is

Setting
, the area of the largest (or sixth-smallest) square is

The two smallest squares have perimeters 16 and 20, so their sidelengths are one fourth of these, or, respectively, 4 and 5. Their areas are the squares of these, or, respectively, 16 and 25. Therefore, in the arithmetic sequence,
and the common difference is .
The area of the th smallest square is
Setting , the area of the largest (or sixth-smallest) square is
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The perimeter of a square is
. Give the area of the square in terms of
.
The perimeter of a square is . Give the area of the square in terms of
.
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The length of one side of a square is one fourth its perimeter. Since the perimeter of the square is
, the length of one side is

The area of the square is the square of this sidelength, or

The length of one side of a square is one fourth its perimeter. Since the perimeter of the square is , the length of one side is
The area of the square is the square of this sidelength, or
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The sidelength of a square is
. Give its area in terms of
.
The sidelength of a square is . Give its area in terms of
.
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The area of a square is the square of its sidelength. Therefore, square
:

The area of a square is the square of its sidelength. Therefore, square :
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A diagonal of a square has length
. Give its area.
A diagonal of a square has length . Give its area.
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A square being a rhombus, its area can be determined by taking half the product of the lengths of its (congruent) diagonals:

A square being a rhombus, its area can be determined by taking half the product of the lengths of its (congruent) diagonals:
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Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of a square with sides of length
meters
(b) The area of a square with perimeter
centimeters
Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of a square with sides of length meters
(b) The area of a square with perimeter centimeters
Tap to reveal answer
A square with perimeter
centimeters has sides of length one-fourth of this, or
centimeters. Since one meter is equal to 100 centimeters, divide by 100 to get the equivalent in meters - this is

meters.
The square in (b) has sidelength less than that of the square in (a), so its area is also less than that in (a).
A square with perimeter centimeters has sides of length one-fourth of this, or
centimeters. Since one meter is equal to 100 centimeters, divide by 100 to get the equivalent in meters - this is
meters.
The square in (b) has sidelength less than that of the square in (a), so its area is also less than that in (a).
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On the coordinate plane, Square A has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
. Square B has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
.
and
are both positive numbers and
. Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of Square A
(b) The area of Square B
On the coordinate plane, Square A has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates . Square B has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
.
and
are both positive numbers and
. Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of Square A
(b) The area of Square B
Tap to reveal answer
The length of a segment with endpoints
and
can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:



The length of a segment with endpoints
and
can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:





The sides are of equal length, so the squares have equal area. Note that the fact that
is irrelevant to the question.
The length of a segment with endpoints and
can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:
The length of a segment with endpoints and
can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:
The sides are of equal length, so the squares have equal area. Note that the fact that is irrelevant to the question.
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On the coordinate plane, Square A has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
. Square B has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
.
and
are both positive numbers. Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of Square A
(b) The area of Square B
On the coordinate plane, Square A has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates . Square B has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
.
and
are both positive numbers. Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of Square A
(b) The area of Square B
Tap to reveal answer
It can be proved that the given information is insufficient to answer the question by looking at two cases.
Case 1: 
Square A has as a side a segment with endpoints at
and
, the length of which can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:





This is the length of one side of Square A; the area of the square is the square of this, or 52.
Square B has as a side a segment with endpoints at
and
, the length of which can be found the same way:





This is the length of one side of Square B; the area of the square is the square of this, or 50. This makes Square A the greater in area.
Case 2: 
Square A has as a side a segment with endpoints at
and
; this was found earlier to be a square of area 50.
Square B has as a side a segment with endpoints at
and
, the length of which can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:





This is the length of one side of Square B; the area of the square is the square of this, or 52. This makes Square B the greater in area.
It can be proved that the given information is insufficient to answer the question by looking at two cases.
Case 1:
Square A has as a side a segment with endpoints at and
, the length of which can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:
This is the length of one side of Square A; the area of the square is the square of this, or 52.
Square B has as a side a segment with endpoints at and
, the length of which can be found the same way:
This is the length of one side of Square B; the area of the square is the square of this, or 50. This makes Square A the greater in area.
Case 2:
Square A has as a side a segment with endpoints at and
; this was found earlier to be a square of area 50.
Square B has as a side a segment with endpoints at and
, the length of which can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:
This is the length of one side of Square B; the area of the square is the square of this, or 52. This makes Square B the greater in area.
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On the coordinate plane, Square A has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
. Square B has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
.
and
are both positive numbers and
. Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of Square A
(b) The area of Square B
On the coordinate plane, Square A has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates . Square B has as one side a segment with its endpoints at the origin and at the point with coordinates
.
and
are both positive numbers and
. Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The area of Square A
(b) The area of Square B
Tap to reveal answer
The length of a segment with endpoints
and
can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:




This is the length of one side of Square A; the area of the square is the square of this, or
.
By similar reasoning, the length of a segment with endpoints
and
is

and the area of Square B is
.
Since
, and both are positive, it follows that




Square B has the greater area.
The length of a segment with endpoints and
can be found using the distance formula with
,
,
:
This is the length of one side of Square A; the area of the square is the square of this, or .
By similar reasoning, the length of a segment with endpoints and
is
and the area of Square B is
.
Since , and both are positive, it follows that
Square B has the greater area.
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Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The length of a diagonal of a square with sidelength 10 inches
(b) The hypotenuse of an isosceles right triangle with legs 10 inches each
Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The length of a diagonal of a square with sidelength 10 inches
(b) The hypotenuse of an isosceles right triangle with legs 10 inches each
Tap to reveal answer
A diagonal of a square cuts the square into two isosceles right triangles, of which the diagonal is the common hypotenuse. Therefore, each figure is the hypotenuse of an isosceles right triangle with legs 10 inches, making them equal in length.
A diagonal of a square cuts the square into two isosceles right triangles, of which the diagonal is the common hypotenuse. Therefore, each figure is the hypotenuse of an isosceles right triangle with legs 10 inches, making them equal in length.
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The track at Peter Stuyvesant High School is a perfect square, as seen above, with sides of length 600 feet and a diagonal connecting two of the corners.
Les begins at Point A, takes the diagonal path directly to Point B, then runs counterclockwise around the square track twice. He then takes the diagonal from Point B back to Point A. Which of the following is closest to the distance he runs?
A hint: 

The track at Peter Stuyvesant High School is a perfect square, as seen above, with sides of length 600 feet and a diagonal connecting two of the corners.
Les begins at Point A, takes the diagonal path directly to Point B, then runs counterclockwise around the square track twice. He then takes the diagonal from Point B back to Point A. Which of the following is closest to the distance he runs?
A hint:
Tap to reveal answer
The diagonal of a square has length
, or about 1.414, times the length of a side, which here is 600 feet; this makes the diagonal path about
feet long.
Les runs around the square track twice, meaning that he runs the length of one side eight times; he also runs the length of the diagonal twice, This is a total of about
feet.
Divide by 5,280 to convert to miles:

Of the given responses,
miles comes closest to the correct distance.
The diagonal of a square has length , or about 1.414, times the length of a side, which here is 600 feet; this makes the diagonal path about
feet long.
Les runs around the square track twice, meaning that he runs the length of one side eight times; he also runs the length of the diagonal twice, This is a total of about
feet.
Divide by 5,280 to convert to miles:
Of the given responses, miles comes closest to the correct distance.
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The track at Franklin Pierce High School is a perfect square, as seen above, with sides of length 700 feet and a diagonal path connecting Points A and C.
Ellen wants to run three miles. Her plan is to begin at Point A, run along the diagonal path, run clockwise around the square track once, run along the diagonal path, run clockwise around the square track once, then repeat this pattern until she has run three miles. Where will she be when she is done?
A hint: 

The track at Franklin Pierce High School is a perfect square, as seen above, with sides of length 700 feet and a diagonal path connecting Points A and C.
Ellen wants to run three miles. Her plan is to begin at Point A, run along the diagonal path, run clockwise around the square track once, run along the diagonal path, run clockwise around the square track once, then repeat this pattern until she has run three miles. Where will she be when she is done?
A hint:
Tap to reveal answer
The diagonal of a square has length
, or about 1.414, times the length of a side, which here is 700 feet; this makes the diagonal path about
feet long.
We will call one complete circuit one running of the diagonal, which is 990 feet long, and one running around the square; the completion of one complete circuit amounts to running a distance of
feet.
Ellen seeks to run three miles, or
feet, which, divided by 3,790 feet, is about:
,
or four complete circuits and 0.17 of a fifth.
After four complete circuits, Ellen is backat Point A. She has yet to run
feet.
She will now run along the diagonal from Point A to Point C, but since the diagonal has length 990 feet, which is greater than 629 feet, she will finish running three miles when she is on this diagonal path.
The diagonal of a square has length , or about 1.414, times the length of a side, which here is 700 feet; this makes the diagonal path about
feet long.
We will call one complete circuit one running of the diagonal, which is 990 feet long, and one running around the square; the completion of one complete circuit amounts to running a distance of
feet.
Ellen seeks to run three miles, or
feet, which, divided by 3,790 feet, is about:
,
or four complete circuits and 0.17 of a fifth.
After four complete circuits, Ellen is backat Point A. She has yet to run
feet.
She will now run along the diagonal from Point A to Point C, but since the diagonal has length 990 feet, which is greater than 629 feet, she will finish running three miles when she is on this diagonal path.
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The track at Grant High School is a perfect square, as seen above, with sides of length 600 feet and a diagonal path connecting two of the corners.
Kenny begins at Point A, runs the path to Point C, and proceeds to run counterclockwise around the square track one complete time. He then runs again along the diagonal path from Point C to Point A.
Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The length of Kenny's run
(b) One mile
A hint: 

The track at Grant High School is a perfect square, as seen above, with sides of length 600 feet and a diagonal path connecting two of the corners.
Kenny begins at Point A, runs the path to Point C, and proceeds to run counterclockwise around the square track one complete time. He then runs again along the diagonal path from Point C to Point A.
Which is the greater quantity?
(a) The length of Kenny's run
(b) One mile
A hint:
Tap to reveal answer
The diagonal of a square has length
, or about 1.414, times the length of a side, which here is 600 feet; this makes the diagonal path about
feet long.
Kenny runs along this path twice, and he runs along the entire perimeter of the square path, so his run is about
feet. Since one mile is equal to 5,280 feet, the greater quantity is (b).
The diagonal of a square has length , or about 1.414, times the length of a side, which here is 600 feet; this makes the diagonal path about
feet long.
Kenny runs along this path twice, and he runs along the entire perimeter of the square path, so his run is about
feet. Since one mile is equal to 5,280 feet, the greater quantity is (b).
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