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3.1 Ratios, Rates, and Proportional Relationships - Word problems with proportional reasoning
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The total area of a coastal city is 92.1 square miles, of which 11.3 square miles is water. If the city had a population of 621,000 people in the year 2010, which of the following is closest to the population density, in people per square mile of land area, of the city at that time?

A.

6,740

B.

7,690

C.

55,000

D.

76,000

The total area of a coastal city is 92.1 square miles, of which 11.3 square miles

Hard-difficulty · SAT Math · Ratios, Rates, and Proportional Relationships — Word problems with proportional reasoning. Read the question above, select your answer, and check the full explanation below to understand exactly why the correct choice works.

Answer explanation

Choice B is correct. The land area of the coastal city can be found by subtracting the area of the water from the total area of the coastal city; that is, 92 point 1, minus 11 point 3, equals 80 point 8 square miles. The population density is the population divided by the land area, or the fraction 621,000 over 80 point 8, end fraction, equals 7,686, which is closest to 7,690 people per square mile.

Choice A is incorrect and may be the result of dividing the population by the total area, instead of the land area. Choice C is incorrect and may be the result of dividing the population by the area of water. Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of making a computational error with the decimal place.