The SAT Question Everyone Got Wrong

TL;DR

In 1982, a SAT question about circles had a wrong answer, leading to a debate about the number of rotations required for a smaller circle to roll around a larger one. The correct answer was four rotations.

Transcript

• In 1982, there was one SAT question that every single student got wrong. Here it is. In the figure above, the radius of circle A is 1/3 the radius of circle B. Starting from the position shown in the figure, circle A rolls around circle B. At the end of how many revolutions of circle A will the center of the circle first reach its starting point.... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧑‍🎓 The SAT had a reputation for determining students' futures, and mistakes like the one in question 17 were not supposed to happen.
• 🧑‍🎓 The students who noticed the mistake were confident in their argument and directly challenged the College Board's answer choices.
• ⁉️ The correct answer to the question about rotations in the SAT was four, but multiple perspectives and definitions could justify alternative answers.
• 🗺️ The concept of the circle's rotation and distance traveled is applicable beyond the SAT question, with implications in astronomy and accurate timekeeping.
• 🧑‍🎓 The rescoring of the SAT due to the nullified question had financial implications for the testing service and potentially affected students' educational opportunities.
• 🎓 The introduction of COVID-19 and an increasing number of colleges no longer requiring standardized testing suggest that the significance of the SAT is diminishing.
• 🤗 The ability to understand and appreciate everyday phenomena often requires hands-on exploration and critical thinking skills fostered by platforms like Brilliant.

Questions & Answers

Q: What was the SAT question about circles that stumped everyone?

The SAT question asked how many rotations it would take for a small circle to roll around a larger circle. The correct answer was four rotations.

Q: How did the students prove that the SAT question was incorrect?

The students argued that if two identical circles were rolled, it would require two rotations for one circle to roll around the other. They applied this logic to the larger circles in the SAT question to determine the correct answer.

Q: Why did the College Board admit their mistake and nullify the question?

After reviewing the students' letters, the College Board publicly admitted their mistake and nullified the question for all test takers. They acknowledged that the listed answer choices were incorrect.

Q: Did the mistake have any consequences for the test takers?

The rescoring of the SAT exam without question 17 caused students' scores to be scaled up or down by 10 points. This could potentially impact a person's educational opportunities if they fell below test score cutoffs for certain universities or scholarships.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• In 1982, a SAT question about the number of rotations required for a smaller circle to roll around a larger one had a wrong answer.

• The correct answer to the question was four rotations, but all the options on the test were incorrect.

• Three students wrote to the College Board to point out the mistake, and the question was nullified for all test takers.