Which of the following is the greatest?

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[GMAT math practice question]

Which of the following is the greatest?

A. (1+2)^5
B. 10^3
C. (1^2+2^2)^4
D. (2^2+2^2+2^2)^3
E. (2^2+2^2+2^2+2^2)^2

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Max@Math Revolution wrote:[GMAT math practice question]

Which of the following is the greatest?

A. (1 + 2)^5
B. 10^3
C. (1^2 + 2^2)^4
D. (2^2 + 2^2 + 2^2)^3
E. (2^2 + 2^2 + 2^2 + 2^2)^2
From a strictly subjective standpoint, I think (1 + 2)^5 is pretty great <i class="em em-grimacing"></i>

A. (1 + 2)^5 = (3)^5 = 243
B. 10^3 = 1,000
C. (1^2 + 2^2)^4 = (1 + 4)^4 = (5)^4 = 625
D. (2^2 + 2^2 + 2^2)^3 = (4 + 4 + 4)^3 = (12)^3
ASIDE: I won't bother evaluating this right now. We can already see that 12^3 is greater than 10^3 so, at the moment, D is the greatest value.

E. (2^2 + 2^2 + 2^2 + 2^2)^2 = (4 + 4 + 4 + 4)^2 = (16)^2 = 256

Answer: D

Cheers,
Brent
Brent Hanneson - Creator of GMATPrepNow.com
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by Max@Math Revolution » Wed Mar 28, 2018 12:52 am
=>

A. (1+2)^5 = 3^5 = 243
B. 10^3 = 1000
C. (1^2+2^2)^4 = 5^4 = 625
D. (2^2+2^2+2^2)^3 = 12^3 = 1728
E. (2^2+2^2+2^2+2^2)^2 = 16^2 = 256

Therefore, D is the answer.

Answer: D