GMAT Practice Question: If x=\sqrt[3]{a^{6}}, y=\sqrt[3]{b^{6}}, b is not equal to 0, and a=4b, then...
Question
If x=\sqrt[3]{a^{6}}, y=\sqrt[3]{b^{6}}, b is not equal to 0, and a=4b, then \frac{x}{y}=
- 4
- 8
- 16
- 32
- 64
Topics: exponents, roots
Solution
Step 1
We first convert each cube root to fractional exponents using \textbf{"Roots as Fractional Exponents"} and simplify the exponents
x = a^{6 \times \frac{1}{3}} = a^2 y = b^{6 \times \frac{1}{3}} = b^2
Step 2
We form the ratio and rewrite it as a power of a fraction using \textbf{"Exponents of Fractions"}
\frac{x}{y} = \frac{a^2}{b^2} (\frac{a}{b})^2
Step 3
We substitute \textbf{"a = 4 b"} into the expression and calculate the square
(\frac{a}{b})^2 = (\frac{4 b}{b})^2 = 4^2 4^2 = 16
Answer
C
