Factorial based questions asking no. of zeroes and max power of sum integer.

Find the no. of zeroes at the right end of 300!

for every zero, we require 10..n every 10 is made up of 5x2.

in the expression 1x2x3...300, multiples of 2 wud obviously be more than the multiples of 5...so v
need to find the maximum power of 5 in 300!

300/5 = 60 (because every fifth no. is a multiple of 5)

300/25 = 12(because every mutiple of 25 has two 5s in it) or, 60/5=12

300/125 = 3 (because multiples of 125 have three 5s in it) or,

12/5 = 2

now 2 cannot be further divided by 5 so add all the quotients...60 + 12 + 2 = 74.

we might also get the same type of questions in a different form,

500! is divisible by 1000^n...what is the max. integral value of n?

now every 1000 is made up of 3 5s and 3 2s....2s are redundant...we need to count no. of 5s....so
find total no. of 5s and divide by 3

500/5 = 100
100/5 = 20
20/5 = 4

100 + 20 + 4 =124

124/3 = 41.33

max integral value is 41.

500! is divisible by 99^n...what is the max. integral value of n?

now every 99 is made of two 3s and one 11. obviously 11 will be the deciding factor. so count no.
of 11s for the answer

500/11 = 45
45/11 = 4

ans will be 49.

so in such questions, just check which prime no. will be the deciding factor and count the no. of
times it occurs. but please understand that highest prime no. is not necessarily always the
deciding factor. see this example:

100! is divisible by 160^n...what is the max. integral value of n?

now 160 = 2^5 * 5^1. now although 5 is the biggest prime no. that 160 is made of, the deciding
factor wud be 2. because five 2s occur less often than one 5 does. so we'll count the no. of 2s
and divide by 5.

100/2 = 50
50/2 = 25
25/2 =12
12/2 = 6
6 /2 = 3
3/2 = 1

add 'em all...97.

97/5 = 19.

so the answer wud be 19

had v taken 5 as the deciding factor, the answer wud have been 100/5 + 100/25 = 24 which is
more than 19...hence a wrong answer...

when in dilemma as to which prime no. wud be the deciding factor (e.g. a divisor like 144...its not
possible to decide whether 3 or 2 will give the right answer) ....take out answer using both the
prime nos...the one thats less is the right answer.

50! is divisible by 144^n...what is the max. integral value of n?

144 = 2^4 * 3^2...difficult to decide whether 3 or 2 will be the deciding factor...

count 2s

50/2=25
25/2=12
12/2=6
6/2=3
3/2=1

sum=47

answer = 47/4 = 11.

count 3s

50/3=17
17/3=5
5/3=1

sum = 23

23/2 = 11
a tie...else the smaller value wud have been the answer.

300! is divisible by (24!)^n. what is the max. possible integral value of n?

such questions are tricky...when u expand 24!...u get 1x2x3...24.

in this range the highest prime no. is 23...so maximum power of 23 in 300! will decide the max
value of x...

when v expand 300!...v get a 23 in 23, 46,69,92....

total no of multiples of 23 in 300! will be 300/23 = 13,

forget the fractional part. so the maximum possible answer is 13. hope am clear...else, feel free to
revert.

256! is expanded and expressed in base 576 . how many zeroes will this expression have on
its right end?

such questions are same as finding maximum power of 576 in 256!

576 = 2^6 x 3^2

to get six 2s i have to travel eight places...1x2x3x4x5x6x7x8 has seven 2s. but to two 3s i have to
travel only six places...1x2x3...6 has two 3s...hence 2 will be the constrain.

total 2s in 256! = 255

hence, no. of zeroes = 256/6 = 42.

just to check...3s = 126, 126/2 = 63>42

ans-42
Finding out smallest no. which leaves specific remainders with specific divisors.

Type # 1.

find smallest no. other than k, that leaves remainder k when divided by w,x,y...

to solve such questions, take lcm of w,x,y...and add k to it.

e.g. find Smallest no. other than 4, that leaves remainder 4 when divided by 6,7,8 or 9...

take lcm of 6,7,8,9 and add 4

i.e. 504 + 4 = 508

Type # 2

find smallest no. that leaves remainder 3,5,7 when divided by 4,6,8 respectively.

unlike last case, this time the remainder is not constant. but if u see carefully, difference b/w
divisor n remainder is constant. i.e. 4-3=6-5=8-7=1

in such questions, take lcm of divisors n subtract the common difference from it

here, the answer wud be lcm of 4,6,8 i.e 24 - 1 = 23

Type # 3

Smallest no. that leaves remainder 3,4,5 whn divided by 5,6,7 respectively and leaves
remainder 1 with 11,

we have just seen a way to tackle the first 3 conditions...the no. wud be lcm of 5,6,7 - 2 = 208

now we have one more condition...remainder 1 with 11.

concept => to a no. if v add lcm of divisors...the corresponding remainders dont change.

i.e to 208, if v keep adding 210 ... the first 3 conditions will continue being fulfilled.

so, let 208 + 210k be the no. that will satisfy the 4th condition...viz (208 + 210k)% 11 = 1

208%11 = 10

210k%11 = k

therefore, 10 + k shud leave remainder 1 when divided by 11.

hence, k = 2. and the no. is 208 + 210 x 2 = 628

e.g. find the smallest no. that leaves remainder 2 when divided by 3,4 or 5 and is divisible by 7
for first 3 conditions....no. is 120 + 2 = 122

hence, 122 + 120k is the required no. which reduces to 3 + 2k when divided by 7...now 3+2k
shud be a multiple of 7...easily, k=2 and the required no. is 122 + 120 x 2 = 362

Type # 4

What if there is no relation between divisors n remainders?

e.g. find the smallest no. that leaves remainders 1 with 5, 4 with 7, 6 with 11 and 7 with 13.

we can c...there's no relation among these divisor-remainder sets...neither is the remainder

constant...nor is the difference b/w divisor n remainder a constant.

in such cases...take 1 case n target another case...

e.g. i take the case 7 with 13...and target 6 with 11.

which is the smallest no. that leaves 7 with 13? 7 itself...right? so all nos of the form 7 + 13k will
give 7 rem with 13.

now am targeting 6 with 11...so i divide 7 + 13k by 11...i get remainder 7 + 2k...now 7 + 2k =
6,17,28,39,50...so that the remainder with 11 is 6.

a no. that gives integral value of k is 17 i.e. 7 + 2k = 17. hence, k =5 and the no. that satisfies
these two conditions is 7 + 13 x 5 = 72

now that 2 conditions are fulfilled, lets target a third condition...say 4 with 7.

to 72, if v add lcm of 11, 13 i.e 143, 2 conditions awready satisfied wud continue being satisfied...

hence the no. is of the form 72 + 143 k.

72 + 143k % 7 = 2 + 3k

now 2 + 3k shud be = 4,11,18,25,32... to satisfy the condition of 4 rem with 7..

a no. that gives integral soln is 11..i.e. 2 + 3k = 11, k = 3.

hence, the no. that satisfies all 3 conditions is 72 + 143 x 3 = 501.

now if v see carefully...4th condition...remainder 1 with 501 has already been satisfied...so the no.
v have been looking for is 501.

For ease of calculation, start from biggest divisor n gradually move to smaller ones...u'll
always see that last 1-2 conditions will be satisfied automatically.

there are theorems for solving above questions...viz chinese theorem etc...but i solve such
questions by the way i've suggested...i find this approach very practical as the flow of nos. is very
much visible...n i believe i can tackle any twist in the question devised by cat makers thru this
method...there are lotsa other questions based on this concept which i'll soon post but the basic
concept remains the same...
few points to be noted

*you can always re-check ur answer

**at times, u can use options to solve such questions.

***dont let concepts go away believing such questions can be easily dealt with thru options...the
question may not always be find the smallest no. which...... at times it may be ..find the sum of
integers of smallest no. which leaves remainders...blah blah...

****there may be a case when they put an option which satisfies all the conditions but is not the
smallest poss value...n put another option...our favorite...none of these!!! lets not undermine
genius of cat makers!!

Type#5

Smallest no. that must be subtracted from 1000 so that the resultant no. leaves
remainders 1,3,4,8 with divisors 2,6,5,13 respectively.

from yesterday's approach, v can find out...the smallest no. satisfying all 4 conditions is
99. now to 99 if v add lcm of 2,6,5,13 i.e. 390, the remainders will remain unchanged.

so v need 99 + 390k such that the resultant value is just below 1000.
easily, for k=2, we get one such value....99+390x2 = 879.

hence, ans is 1000-879=121

Type#6

smallest no. that leaves remainders 3,2,4 when successively divided by 5,6,7
respectively.

for such questions...start approaching from the rear end...

we want 4 remainder with 7...the smallest such no. is 4 itself.

now this 4 must have come after a no. was divided by 6

so the no. must have been 4x6+2(remainder with 6) = 26

now, 26 was the quotient when sum no. was divided by 5

so the no. must have been 26x5 + 3(remainder with 5) = 133

so, the answer is 133.

Type#7
a no. leaves remainder 3 when divided by 5 and remainder 8 when successively
divided by 11. what is the remainder when this no. is divided by 55?

look at this question carefully...55 is lcm of earlier divisors 11,5... in such a case...the
remainder with lcm as divisor wud be constant.

an easy approach for this problem...start from the rear end...take a small no. that leaves
rem. 8 with 11...lets take 8.

this 8 is quotient when the main no. is divided by 5...it also leaves remainder 3.

hence, the main no. is

8x5 + 3 = 43

43%55 = 43 answer.

Type#8

Find the largest no. that leaves same remainder when it divides 3398 and 6578.

the concept is very simple...to leave same remainder...difference between two dividents
must be divisible by the divisor.

i.e. 6578-3398 = 3180 shud be divisible by the divisor to leave same remainders.

largest no. that divides 3180 is 3180 itself.

hence, the answer is 3180.

Type#9

Find the largest no. that leaves same remainder when it divides 16009,9009,7509 and
14009.

the approach is same... take difference of the nos in ascending or descending order....
i.e. 16009-14009=2000,
14009-9009=5000
9009-7509=1500.

now to leave same remainder, each of the interval shud be divisible by the divisor.

hence, take hcf of 2000,5000,1500. i.e. 500

so, the answer is 500.

Type#10

If a no. is divided by 15, it leaves a remainder 7, if thrice the no. is divided by 5, then
what is the remainder?
options...1,2,3,4,0

such questions are difficult to frame as one has to find a pattern b/w divisors n
remainders...i know these questions are easy n v all can crack it easily...but the reason y
am putting it here is bcoz i have a very short...practical approach for solving this
question..

choose a no. that leaves 7 remainder with 15....lets take 7 only.

thrice 7 = 21

21%5 =1 (edited after vani's post)

since, the no. shud give same result for all values that give 7 rem. with 15, its better to
take sum value n solve it instead of takin an algebraic approach...

hence, answer is 1.

a^n - b^n is always divisible by a-b

a^n - b^n is divisible by a+b when n is even.

a^n + b ^n is divisible by a+b when n is odd.

a^n + b^n + c^n +... is divisible by a+b+c+.... when n is odd.

when last n digits of a no. are divided by 2^n, the remainder is same as the
remainder when the entire no. is divided by 2^n.

concepts...

#1. to find total no. of factors of a number.

=>first of all...express it in terms of prime numbers

e.g 1260^4.
express it as (2x2x3x3x5x7)^4 = 2^8 * 3^8 * 5^4*7^4.

=>now add 1 to the powers of every prime no. n multiply them all...u get the total no. of
factors of 1260^4.

i.e (8+1)*(8+1)*(4+1)*(4+1) = 2025 = total no. of factors of 1260^4.

#2 to find no. of odd factors of a number.

leave power of 2 and multiply powers of all other prime nos after adding one to them.

i.e. (8 + 1)*(4+1)*(4+1) = 225 = no. of odd factors of 1260^4

#3 to find no. of even factors of a number.

take the difference of total factors and odd factors.

i.e. 2025 - 225 = 1800. = no. of even factors of 1260^4

#4 to find in how many ways can a given no. be represented as product of two
relatively prime factors.

in this case, the power of prime no. becomes irrelevant as all the powers shud lie with the
same factor else the two factors wont be relatively prime.

i.e in the above case 1260 = (2x2x3x3x5x7)^4 = 2^8 * 3^8 * 5^4*7^4.

now powers 8,8,4,4 have no importance...whats important is how many prime nos. are
there...they are four...viz 2,3,5,7. hence 4.

now v have to form nos. using these 4 primr nos. its a like a question askin u...if u have 4
sweets...in how many ways can u eat them? the answer is 4C0..when u eat none... + 4C1
when eat any one...+4C2 + ...4C4...when u eat all.

similarly here, answer wud be 4C0 + 4C1 + 4C2 ...4C4 = 2^4 = 16.

but the factors have to exist in pairs...hence 2^4/2 = 8 factors are possible.

on a general note...a no. formed of n prime nos has 2^(n-1) pair of co-prime factors
Today's concept...to solve tricky questions based on no. of factors of a number.

Despite the interest shown in the concept yesterday, not many cud solve the question efficiently...so, best
concept for the day can be to discuss yesterday's problems...have a quick, practical solution to them...and
practice a lot of similar, different questions on same concept. here we go...

Find the smallest no. that has exactly.....

1. 16 factors

2. 12 factors

3. 60 factors

questions are lil tricky...but if u get the concept...they become child's play...see how...

16 factors...that mean product of (powers +1) of all the prime nos = 16.

now 16 can be achieved in following ways...

16
8x2
4x4
2x4x2
2x2x2x2.

by sheer common sense, v can say the highest power shud go to the smallest prime no.
i.e. 2....and as v proceed, smaller powers shud be given to higher prime nos.

Concept:

powers shud reduce and the corresponding prime nos. shud increase.

so...

16...the no. is 2^15

8x2...the no. is 2^7 x 3

4x4...the no. is 2^3 x 3^3.

2x4x2...the no. is 2^3 x 3 x 5

2x2x2x2.....the no. is 2x3x5x7.

first three nos can be easily discarded as they are too big...just calculate last two nos, they
are 120 and 210...120 is smaller and hence the answer.

important: please avoid craming...in few cases last way might give best answer..in other
cases, 2nd last one...its always advicable to form patterns n check the closer ones.

2. 12 factors

12 = 12 or 4x3 or 2x2x3. easily answer wud be 2^3 x 3^2 or 2^2 x 3 x 5

the corresponding values are 72 n 60. hence, the answer is 60.

similarly, Q3 also.

4. how many factors of 27000 are perfect cubes?

i realy wonder y nobody cud get this right...u just need to form combinations and
check which combinations give u cubes...they are 27000,27,1000, etc. am not
discussing this question...i hope when i give a similar question today...i get few
correct answers.

This question is still open for answers/discussion (so are others...but if u can answer
this...with an xplanation, it'll be gr8 )

how many A.Ps are possible such that first term is 1235 and the last term is 3535
and there are atleast...

5. 3 terms

6. 4 terms

7. 5 terms

8. 6 terms

concept:

to have first n last term as the given terms...the difference b/w the two terms shud be
divisible by the common difference. so u basically have to find how many such common
differences exist...for every common difference...u'll get a new AP.

for practice, lets take a small interval [1,15]

the difference is 15-1=14. now 14 is divisible by 1,2,7,14...four different integers... so v

can have four different APs...if v take a common difference other than these four
values...the last term wont lie in that AP.

e.g if v take the common diff = 4, the AP wud be 1,5,9,13,17...see 15 didnt lie...

so, 4 APs are possible.

now if a conditions is attached...there shud be atleast three terms...it means that AP with
2 terms shud be neglected...
1,15 is an AP with jus 2 terms...so it shud be beglected...remember, an AP with 2 terms
always lies in any interval.

so the answer wud be 4-1 = 3

if the condition is atleast four terms...then the AP with 2 terms as well as the AP with 3
terms shud be neglected.

we know that an AP with 2 terms is bound to exist...lets c if an AP with 3 terms also

exists.

an AP with 3 terms will look like... 1, x, 15

see...there are 2 intervals... x-1 and 15-x. hence for a 3 term AP to exist, the difference
shud be divisible by 2.

since 14 is divisible by 2, we further reduce the answer by 1...so APs with atleast 4 terms
are 3-1 =2

now, if the conditions is...atleast 5 terms...v need to check if AP with 4 terms exists...
such an AP wud luk like...

1, x, y, 15

see, there are 3 intervals...since 14 is not divisible by 3, such an AP does not exist. so the
answer remains 2.

similarly, for atleast 6 terms, v check if 14%4 = 0...since no, the answer is again 2

for 7 terms 14%5 is not 0, the answer is 2

for atleast 8 terms...14%6 is not 0 so the answer is again 2.

for 9 terms, 14%7 = 0. hence answer becomes 2-1 =1

keep on proceeding like this...the soln wont be so bulky...its been done like this for ease
of understanding...for ease of calculation...see how to proceed...

how many A.Ps are possible such that first term is 1235 and the last term is 3535
and there are atleast...

5. 3 terms

6. 4 terms

7. 5 terms

8. 6 terms

3535 - 1235 = 2300.

2300 = 23x2^2x5^2 . hence, no. of factors = 3x3x2 = 18. (check yesterday's concept if
missed)

how many APs...18.

how many with atleast 3 terms?

since 2300%1 = 0, 18-1 = 17

how many with atleast 4 terms?

2300%2 = 0, hence 17-1 = 16

how many with atleast 5 terms?

2300%3 =/ 0, answer remains 16. where =/ means not equal to

how many with atleast 6 terms?

2300%4 = 0, 16-1 = 15

how many with atleast 7 terms?

2300%5 = 0, 15-1 = 14

how many with atleast 8 terms?

2300%6 =/ 0 , answer remains 14

how many with atleast 9 terms?

2300%7 =/ 0, answer remains 14

and so on...

to check for atleast n terms, v need divisibility till n-2...i'll appreciate if u dont
cram...but understand it...i've neva learnt it...its jus an observation...

so, the answers to above 3 questions wud be 17,16,16,15.

finally...

How many values of a are possible if x^2 + ax + 2400 has...

9. integral roots

10. roots which are natural nos.

this is an actually tricky problem...sad that nobody came up with this...see...

concept:

to solve ax2 + bx + c =0,

we break it as ax2 + mx + nx + c = 0, such that m*n = a*c.

here, a*c = 1*2400 = 2400. so v need to find in how many ways can 2400 be expressed
as product of 2 nos. every such pair of nos. will give a new value of the coefficient of x.

2400 = 2^5 x 5^2 x 3

no. of factors = 6x3x2 = 36.

but these factors have to exist in pairs...e.g when v use one factor 2 (to express 2400 as
2x1200) the other factor...1200 is automatically used...so total pairs possible are ...

36/2 = 18.

but relax...this is not it....again...equal no. of negative pairs exist...i.e. 2x1200 corresponds
to -2 x -1200. although the product is same as the reqd product i.e 2400...the sum is
different...its 1202 n -1202...n v need to find different values of sum...hence the answer
wud
18x2 = 36 again...

9. integral roots

10. roots which are natural nos.

9. for integral roots...the answer wud be 36

10. values wud be 1/2 the total possible values as negative roots aint allowed...36/2 = 18
is the answer

Finding HCF n LCM of typical values.

#1 : to find the HCF, LCM quickly.

i know most of us wud know this....if v have few nos., 20,40,50,80,180...to find their LCMs, HCF...there's a
slightly quick method...

express them in prime nos.

20 = 2^2 x 5
40 = 2^3 x 5
50 = 5^2 x 2
80 = 2^4 x 5
180 =3^2 x 2^2 x 5

now to HCF, see highest power of all prime nos. that are common to all nos.

2-2
3- 0
5-1

hence hcf is 2^2 x 5 = 20

to find lcm...see highest power of all prime nos across all nos.

2-4
3-2
5-1

hence, lcm = 2^4 x 3^2 x 5 = 1620.

#2 To find HCF and LCM of the form-

2222....30 times.

3333....70 times.

to solve such questions...

for HCF..

take hcf of no. thats being repeated...i.e. hcf of 2 & 3. i.e. 1

take hcf of no. of time these nos. are being repeated...i.e. hcf of 30 n 70...thats 10.

so the hcf is 111...written 10 times.

For LCM...

take lcm of no. thats being repeated...i.e. lcm of 2 & 3. i.e. 6

take lcm of no. of time these nos. are being repeated...i.e. lcm of 30 n 70...thats 210.

so the hcf is 666...written 210 times.

#3...to find hcf and lcm of following form...

2^300 - 1, 8^250 - 1.

the idea is..a^n - b^n is always divisible by a-b. so v need to find highest a-b that will divide a^n - b^n and
smallest term that'll be divisible by a^n - b^n.

express them in a common base.

2^300 - 1 and 2^750 -1.

to find hcf...

take hcf of powers i.e. hcf of 300 and 750...i.e. 150

so the hcf is 2^150 - 1.

to find lcm....

take lcm of powers i.e. lcm of 300 and 750...i.e. 1500

so the hcf is 2^1500 - 1.

To solve last digit problems.

Type # 1:

questions of the form...

2003 x 2004 x 4235161006 x 432657178001 x 42315098002 x 423087004

concept:
Last n digits of any product depends on the product of last n digits. so just multiply last n digits of
each term...find the product, take last n digits of the product n multiply it with the next
term...continue this for all terms.

suppose v had to find last digit of the product above...

so multiply last digits.

3 x 4 = 12. dont worry abt 1 in 12. just remember 2 and multiply it with next no. 2 x 6 = 12. so 2, 2 x 1= 2,
2 x 2 = 4, 4 x 4 = 16.
so, the ans is 6.

for last 2 digits:

03 x 04 x 06 x 01 x 02 x 04 = 76

for last 3 digits:

003 x 004 x 006 x 001 x 002 x 004 = 576.

trust me, last 4 digits wont be asked...as then it becomes bulky...questions in cat are tricky...

Type # 2:

of the form...last digits of 432^43567. i.e base ^ power

i know most of us know this concept...wud take it concisely...

look for the variation in last digit of higher powers of last digit of the base...i.e. 2 here.

2^1 = >2
2^2 => 4
2^3 => 8
2^4 => 6
2^5 => 2

so we can say that 2,4,8,6 will keep repeating...no. of different digits that the last digits of higher powers
can take is known as cyclicity. every digit has a cyclicity.

to find last digit, find last digit of :

(last digit of base) ^ (power % cyclicity of last digit)

when, power % cyclicity of last digit = 0,

take,

(last digit of base) ^ (cyclicity of last digit)

in the above example...

432^43567.

2^ (43567 % 4) = 2^3 = 8 answer.

with little practice....u can do all such questions mentally.

Type # 3

Find last 2 digits of 34291^201.

when the last digit is 1,9,0,5...try finding a pattern in last 2 digits...u'll get one...then solve the question
accordingly...

last 2 digits of 91^1 = 91

last 2 digits of 91^2 = 81
last 2 digits of 91^3 = 71
last 2 digits of 91^4 = 61
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
last 2 digits of 91^10 = 01
last 2 digits of 91^11 = 91

see, we again got 91 as last 2 digits...so v can say that the cyclicity of 91 for last 2 digits is 11 -1 = 10

so the answer shud be 91.

lets take one more example...

find last 2 digits of

(49)^(37)^(38 )^(39)...(3700)

see...

last 2 digits of 49^1 => 49

last 2 digits of 49^2 => 01
last 2 digits of 49^3 => 49
last 2 digits of 49^4 => 01.

can v say that for all odd powers, answer wud be 01?
yes!

since the power of 49 is odd...the answer shud be 01.

what if the question was

(49)^(37)^(38 )^(39)...(3700)%100 = ?
answer wud be 01%100 = 1

(49)^(37)^(38 )^(39)...(3700) % 20 = ?
answer wus be 01 % 20 = 1.
bcoz, to c remainder with 20, v need last 2 digits only.

(49)^(37 )^(38 )^(39)...(3700) % 10

=> 49 % 10 = 9

this method might become tedious when the last 2 digits are unfriendly...like 37, 82 etc.
but i have neva seen such figures appearing in cat...to solve such figures, v need euler's or
binomial...ill be taking it when v discuss remainders...today's questions are based on the
above concept only..