Determine the value of the expression below: ( 6 ! − 5 ! ) × ( 4 ! − 3 ! ) × ( 2 ! − 1 ! ) ( 6 ! + 5 ! ) × ( 4 ! + 3 ! ) × ( 2 ! + 1 ! ) .
Note: The " ! " symbol is the factorial operation, but there's a clever shortcut for solving this that entirely avoids multiplying out the factorials!
This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try
refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and,
finally, (c)
loading the
non-javascript version of this page
. We're sorry about the hassle.
Just to clarify what's going on with the steps, consider the 6 ! + 5 ! term in the numerator. Expand just the 6 ! part:
1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 × 6 + 5 !
We can then "crush back together" the terms from 1 to 5, leaving out the 6:
5 ! × 6 + 5 !
and factor out the 5 !
5 ! ( 6 + 1 )
All the other terms undergo a similar process.
You forgot to add an ''Equal sign'' in the first line of your solution.
Elegant manner! Did the same way.
I did it the same way!
I also did the same way
Why do the second terms in the parenthesis factor out, but not the first?
Log in to reply
6 ! = 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 × 6 , 5 ! = 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 , ⟹ 6 ! = 6 × 5 !
I solved this the same way.
For those of us that don't math... Your solution explains nothing. Anyone want to explain how this solution works?
Log in to reply
If you notice, all the factors in the numerator can be written as ( n ! + ( n − 1 ) ! ) , and in the denominator, ( n ! − ( n − 1 ) ! ) .
n ! = n ( n − 1 ) ( n − 2 ) ( n − 3 ) ⋯ × 3 × 2 × 1 . And we can write that n ! = n × ( n − 1 ) ! , because we still have n ( n − 1 ) ( n − 2 ) ( n − 3 ) ⋯ × 3 × 2 × 1 . So we can rewrite the factors in the numerator and in the denominator:
n × ( n − 1 ) ! + ( n − 1 ) ! = ( n − 1 ) ! ( n + 1 ) n × ( n − 1 ) ! − ( n − 1 ) ! = ( n − 1 ) ! ( n − 1 ) For the numerator For the denominator .
Now lets demonstrate this in the first factors: ( 6 ! − 5 ! ) ( 6 ! + 5 ! ) . You can see that n = 6 . So we have:
( 6 − 1 ) ! × ( 6 − 1 ) ( 6 − 1 ) ! × ( 6 + 1 ) = 5 ! × 5 5 ! × 7
And so on, hope you can now understand Chew's solution.
Log in to reply
Great job, Benjamin! Maybe you can submit this is a solution? That will benefit others too!
Log in to reply
@Agnishom Chattopadhyay – Thanks, someone already put a note on this solution.
Same smart
I wouldn't have bothered to include the 1! factors.
So I saw that 6! + 5! Was the same as 5!×2×6 because 6! Is like tacking on a "×6" to the end of 5!. That's what I did to all the terms in the numerator. In the denominator I saw that by subtracting out the 5! That only leaves 6. Not 6!, just 6. So I canceled the sixes in the numerator and denominator, which left me with 2(5!) X 2(3!) X 2(1!). So I divided by 2 to get rid of all those twos and parentheses. Using the same trick I did previously for the denominator, I canceled everything except 3x4x5, which equals 60. ( 2x1=2! So cancel that out by dividing.) Obviously I did something wrong, as apparent by the solution posted but also by the fact that 60 wasn't a choice. Can some1 please help me find the flaw in this logic? It would be appreciated.
Log in to reply
You are correct saying that 6 ! is 6 × 5 ! , but your error is saying that 6 ! + 5 ! is the same as 5 ! × 2 × 6 , because 6 ! + 5 ! can be written as 6 × 5 ! + 5 ! . Let's say that x = 5 ! . So we have 6 ∗ x + x = 6 x + x = 7 x . Or, 7 × 5 ! . So your mistake was saying 2 × 6 × 5 ! instead of saying 7 × 5 ! . In the denominator, we have 6 ! − 5 ! , that can be written as 6 × 5 ! − 5 ! . Let's say again that x = 5 ! . So we have 6 x − x = 5 x . Or, 5 × 5 ! .
Log in to reply
That makes sense. Thank you for helping me!
Log in to reply
@Epicdragon2104 Dunphy – You're welcome. I'm glad that I could help you :)
I'm sorry if I'm missing something obvious, but how does 5! x 6 + 5! 'factor out' to 5!(6+1)? I get the first part, but try as I might, I just can't make the next step make sense. It looks to me like one 5! (which is 120, right?) is being left, while the other is suddenly becoming 1 (and the second 5! in the denominator, too). I'd love if someone could explain this bit to me.
Log in to reply
If you write 5 ! ( 6 + 1 ) , you are multiplying 5 ! by everything that are inside of parentheses. 5 ! ( 6 + 1 ) = 5 ! × 6 + 5 ! × 1 = 5 ! × 6 + 5 ! . Hope you can now understand Chew's solution!
This problem has higher numbers so that no-one can brute force. Nice solution Chew sir!
Relevant wiki: Factorials Problem Solving - Basic
( 6 ! − 5 ! ) ( 4 ! − 3 ! ) ( 2 ! − 1 ! ) ( 6 ! + 5 ! ) ( 4 ! + 3 ! ) ( 2 ! + 1 ! ) = 5 ! ( 6 − 1 ) × 3 ! ( 4 − 1 ) × 1 ! ( 2 − 1 ) 5 ! ( 6 + 1 ) × 3 ! ( 4 + 1 ) × 1 ! ( 2 + 1 ) = 5 × 3 7 × 5 × 3 = 7
The key here is to be able to pull out the common factors. Nice and clean!
( 6 ! − 5 ! ) × ( 4 ! − 3 ! ) × ( 2 ! − 1 ! ) ( 6 ! + 5 ! ) × ( 4 ! + 3 ! ) × ( 2 ! + 1 ! ) = 5 ! ( 5 ) × 3 ! ( 3 ) × 1 ! ( 1 ) 5 ! ( 7 ) × 3 ! ( 5 ) × 1 ! ( 3 ) = 5 × 3 × 1 7 × 5 × 3 = 7 .
In general, ( n + 1 ) ! + n ! = ( n + 2 ) ⋅ n ! and ( n + 1 ) ! − n ! = n ⋅ n ! .
Thus, 6 ! + 5 ! = 7 ⋅ 5 ! and 6 ! − 5 ! = 5 ⋅ 5 ! . The fraction simplifies to 5 ⋅ 5 ! × 3 ⋅ 3 ! × 1 × 1 ! 7 ⋅ 5 ! × 5 ⋅ 3 ! × 3 × 1 ! = 5 × 3 × 1 7 × 5 × 3 = 7 .
That yields the correct result, of course. Only it is not quite the approach the problem is asking for, quote: "but there's a clever shortcut for solving this that entirely avoids multiplying out the factorials!".
Your approuch though reminds me of a bitter truth: Quite often I've wasted time finding an "elegant" solution to a problem, when "just doing it" the boring long way actually would've been faster (though not as much fun!). :)
I tried out just the first fraction or part of the expression and saw the answer was 7/5. So then i thought the pattern repeats. The biggest number that's a factorial gets one added to it and turns into a numerator of a new fraction. The denominator of that fraction is the smaller number with the factorial. So it's 7/5 * 5/3 * 3/1, which is 7.
( 6 ! − 5 ! ) ( 4 ! − 3 ! ) ( 2 ! − 1 ! ) ( 6 ! + 5 ! ) ( 4 ! + 3 ! ) ( 2 ! + 1 ! ) = 5 ! ( 6 − 1 ) 3 ! ( 4 − 1 ) ( 2 − 1 ) 5 ! ( 6 + 1 ) 3 ! ( 4 + 1 ) ( 2 + 1 ) = 5 ⋅ 3 ⋅ 1 7 ⋅ 5 ⋅ 3 =7
Slow solution: (840×30×3)/(600×18×1)
O.K. this took me a while, but here is how I went through it: ( 6 ! − 5 ! ) × ( 4 ! − 3 ! ) = 3 0 ( 4 ! ) 2 − 1 2 0 ( 3 ! ) 2 − 5 ( 4 ! ) 2 + 2 0 ( 3 ! ) 2 if you foil it. Which then simplifies to: 2 5 ( 4 ! ) 2 − 1 0 0 ( 3 ! ) 2 . I did the same thing with the numerator but since all the operations in the parenthesis are addition it is the same except with all plus signs: 3 0 ( 4 ! ) 2 + 1 2 0 ( 3 ! ) 2 + 5 ( 4 ! ) 2 + 2 0 ( 3 ! ) 2 . That then simplifies to 3 5 ( 4 ! ) 2 + 1 4 0 ( 3 ! ) 2 . Then you can quickly say that ( 2 ! − 1 ! ) is easily 1, and ( 2 ! + 1 ! ) is 3. So the fraction is now ( 2 5 ( 4 ! ) 2 − 1 0 0 ( 3 ! ) 2 ( 3 5 ( 4 ! ) 2 + 1 4 0 ( 3 ! ) 2 × 3 . Then by painstakingly multiplying I found out that ( 4 ! ) 2 is 576, and ( 3 ! ) 2 is 36. So now the fraction is 2 5 ( 5 7 6 ) − 1 0 0 ( 3 6 ) [ 3 5 ( 5 7 6 ) + 1 4 0 ( 3 6 ) ] × 3 . This equals 1 4 4 0 0 − 3 6 0 0 ( 2 0 1 6 0 + 5 0 4 0 ) 3 = 1 0 8 0 0 2 5 2 0 0 × 3 which equals 1 0 8 0 0 7 5 6 0 0 and that is 7.
You are correct, but there's a shortcut that makes the problem easier. If you don't figure it out, check out Chew's solution!
\frac {(n+1)! + n!}{(n+1)!-n!} = \frac {n+2}{n}
Before latex code, put \ ( without a space between "\" and "(" and after finishing it, put )
Problem Loading...
Note Loading...
Set Loading...
Relevant wiki: Factorials Problem Solving - Basic
P = ( 6 ! − 5 ! ) × ( 4 ! − 3 ! ) × ( 2 ! − 1 ! ) ( 6 ! + 5 ! ) × ( 4 ! + 3 ! ) × ( 2 ! + 1 ! ) = ( 6 × 5 ! − 5 ! ) × ( 4 × 3 ! − 3 ! ) × ( 2 × 1 ! − 1 ! ) ( 6 × 5 ! + 5 ! ) × ( 4 × 3 ! + 3 ! ) × ( 2 × 1 ! + 1 ! ) = 5 ! ( 6 − 1 ) 5 ! ( 6 + 1 ) × 3 ! ( 4 − 1 ) 3 ! ( 4 + 1 ) × 1 ! ( 2 − 1 ) 1 ! ( 2 + 1 ) = 5 7 × 3 5 × 1 3 = 7 Note that n ! = n ( n − 1 ) ( n − 2 ) ⋯ × 3 × 2 × 1 ⟹ n ! = n ( n − 1 ) !