Calculators are useless

987654123 987654321 ! \large {\color{#3D99F6}{987654123}}^{\color{#D61F06}{987654321!}}

What will be the unit's digit of the above expression?

Notation : ! ! denotes the factorial notation. For example, 8 ! = 1 × 2 × 3 × × 8 8! = 1\times2\times3\times\cdots\times8 .


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9 3 cannot be determined. 1 7

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2 solutions

Abhay Tiwari
Jun 13, 2016

The last digit in the base is 3 \color{#3D99F6}{3} , Now a base with 3 in its unit digit and having some magnitude of exponent, can have 3 , 9 , 7 , 1 3, 9, 7, 1 only in its unit place. So, the expression will have either:

  • A 1 1 in its unit digit if the exponential is of the type 4 n \color{#D61F06}{4n} .

  • A 3 3 in its unit digit if the exponential is of the type 4 n + 1 4n+1 .

  • A 9 9 in its unit digit if the exponential is of the type 4 n + 2 4n+2 .

  • A 7 7 in its unit digit if the exponential is of the type 4 n + 3 4n+3 .

Now any factorial above 3 ! 3! is divisible by 4 4 and thus will be of the type 4 n \color{#D61F06}{4n} , and so the unit digit in the given expression will be a 1 \boxed{\color{#3D99F6}{1}} .

Did the same way (+1)

Ashish Menon - 5 years ago
Ashish Menon
Jun 13, 2016

We observe that 987654321 ! 987654321! is a multiple of 100 100 so it is a multiple of 4 4 . Now we see that the last digit of the base is 3 3 whose powers' last digit repeat in the cycle 3 , 9 , 7 , 1 3,9,7,1 since 987654321 ! 0 ( mod 4 ) 987654321! \equiv 0 \left(\text{mod 4}\right) the units digit of the expression is 1 \color{#3D99F6}{\boxed{1}}

Nicely explained (+1)

Abhay Tiwari - 5 years ago

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You can't use a calculator to calculate this ;)

And @Ashish Siva , I think what Vighnesh said , mentioning that it is a multiple of 4 suffices.

I don't get the point of this being a level 4 problem, I solved it mentally

Mehul Arora - 5 years ago

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Mehul, I guess the level varies as on how much people and people who actually did the problem are themselves on what level. So, what might seem easy for us, can be a nightmare for some others. And I have mentioned in my solution for that multiples of 4. You must have seen that. And yeah Calculators are really useless here =D

Abhay Tiwari - 5 years ago

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@Abhay Tiwari I know! But level 4 problems deserve some level of hardness. Knowing the basics of Modular arithmetic solve this problem. This doesn't account for a level 4 problem!

Mehul Arora - 5 years ago

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@Mehul Arora But it's a level 3. Did you try some other problems in the set. Some of them are level 4

Abhay Tiwari - 5 years ago

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@Abhay Tiwari Yeah it's level 3 now. I see.

Mehul Arora - 5 years ago

Well what i just did is that just took some multiple of 4(I stressed on 100 because i like that number :P) I thpught it might catch some attention and see it has alrrady got 3 upvotes XD :P

Ashish Menon - 5 years ago

You don't really have to mention that it's a multiple of 100 , to say it's a multiple of 4. 4 n ! , n 4 4 | n! , \forall n \ge 4

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