I need math help! Lame, I know.
 

I took a practice PSAT today (I'm 13) and it was really hard. Like, I didn't know what some of the words meant (like euphemism? I think I heard it in a poem by Edgar Allan Once...), and the math part was REALLY DIFFICULT. Except there were like, seven problems that were unbelievably easy - too easy to be on this kind of test; that kind of easy that made you question everything you've learned in the past eight years.

There was one problem that had to do with tangents.
There were three circles, all the same size with a diameter of 8, all three touching each other; they were stacked up like a pyramid with two on the bottom touching each other, then one stacked upon those two that touched both. There were three lines around the figures. The one on top, labeled 'm', skimmed the top of the first circle. The one on the bottom, labeled 'l', skimmed the bottom of the second and third circles. And the last line, line 'h', ran vertically to the right of the figures and didn't touch them at all - but it ended at l and m, if that makes sense.
We were told to use tangents to find h.
I basically just connected the dots, realized it was a triangle with 60 degree angles on each corner, then split that in half and got a triangle with angles of 90, 60, and 30. Then I assumed that since the the bottom of those triangles were at the radius of the bottom circles, they must've been four wide. That information didn't really help me, so I quit and tried another approach.
Then, I basically figured that 8 + 8 = 16, and since the upper circle was sort of set in between the second and third circles and was a little overlapping almost, the height would have to be less than 16.
The answers were 16.-something, 14.-something, 12.-something, and 8.-something.
I chose 14.-something, assuming that 12... and 8... were too small.
First of all, was that right?
And what the hell is a tangent in the first place?

Sorry if this is in the wrong board; quite honestly, I don't know where to put it.
Thanks :]

You're a bit young for the PSAT, I have no idea why you're taking it. You're not supposed to for another year, and the SAT itself for another two or so. Don't worry about the math right now, it's all high-school level trig and stuff you'll learn. Euphemism you should learn in English 11 or so... but it's a way of putting things lightly. Like passing on as opposed to dying.

Make sure you pay attention in math, too, and don't be afraid to ask for help. I'm a senior in pre-calc and I can't even answer half the math questions. D:

A euphanmism is a nicer way to say something. For example, a euphamism for fat is huskey. Or instead of telling someone they failed, they can be told their performance didn't meet expectations.

Tangent is a trigonometry term. I would recommend reading about it (it's difficult to try to help with a math probelm like that w/o the picture). You'll want to find something that tells you about and how to use not only tangent, but also sine and cosine (I may have spelled them wrong, it's been a while since I've seen them unabbreviated). If you have a teacher or mentor of some sort you can ask about it, that will probably benefit you best so they can actually show you how to do the trig.

We're allowed to take a practice PSAT in 8th, 9th, and 10th grade, to....well, practice for the PSAT and actual SAT.
A practice practice test sounds a bit odd, I know, but it'll help prepare me for when the test actually counts.
And then I won't fail :]

Also, thanks, guys.

I know it's for practice, but it seems odd to practice for something when you don't even know the content yet. Like taking a practice road test when you've never been behind the wheel.

It's a practice for large tests in general?

...to be honest, I just want to know how smart I am. -shot.-

It never hurts to try to get ahead with your learning, especially in math. If you can find someone to tutor you, it could really help. And trig is something that will come up in future math classes so it really is worth learning. Getting skilled at test taking is also valuable. I've known several people who really know stuff well, but can't do well on tests b/c they're not good test takers. It is actually a skill.

I don't think there is ever anything wrong with challenging yourself intellectually.

Oh. Alright, then :]


I'm good at testing....if I know the material.
And, actually, no matter how little I study, I always somehow pull through and remember info when I need it for tests c: