PSAT Math Multiple-Choice Question 835: Answer and Explanation

Question: 835

A new spaceship tourism company wishes to design a spacecraft that will allow its passengers to reenter Earth's atmosphere comfortably without losing consciousness. The physicians with whom the company consulted advised the company employees that healthy humans can survive up to 9g of force and lose consciousness at 5g of force. Which expression gives the range of g-force values, g, that the company's engineers should ensure the spacecraft can provide during reentry?

• A. g < 5
• B. g > 5
• C. 5 < g < 9
• D. g > 9

Correct Answer: A

Explanation:

(A) Since the company does not want the passengers to lose consciousness, the passengers must not experience g forces equal to or greater than 5. The only possible range of g-values is g < 5, in which all the g-values are less than 5.