BREAKING: Target Test Prep releases Brand New 2026 On Demand GMAT prep course

Redeem

tricky

Expert replies
by gmat25 » Sun Aug 07, 2011 6:18 pm
What is the units digit of 6^15 - 7^4 - 9^3?
A) 8
B) 7
C) 6
D) 5
E) 4


[spoiler]How to pick b/w C and E[/spoiler]
Last edited by gmat25 on Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Princeton Review CAT - 710(Q-51, V-37) --> silly mistakes screwed up my VERBAL
Join the discussion
Source: — Problem Solving |

by edge » Sun Aug 07, 2011 6:22 pm
615 - 74 - 93 = 448, the units digit of which is 8...
Join the discussion

by gmat25 » Sun Aug 07, 2011 8:03 pm
edge wrote:615 - 74 - 93 = 448, the units digit of which is 8...
sorry brother, i just edited my post as 615 is actually 6^15 means 6 to the power 15...same follows for others..please check the edited post...now try the question
Princeton Review CAT - 710(Q-51, V-37) --> silly mistakes screwed up my VERBAL
Join the discussion

by ColumbiaVC » Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:20 pm
Units digit of 6^15 is 6
Units digit of 7^4 is 1
Units digit of 9^3 is 9

So, (6^15)-(7^4)-(9^3)=(...xxxx6)-(2401)-(729)=6
Hence, the units digit is C
Join the discussion

by krishna8143 » Sun Aug 07, 2011 9:50 pm
the upd (unit place digit) in 6 power 15 is 6 its really easy to know upds of any power by just knowing the recurring upd concept
as
6^1=6
6^2=36
6^3=216

so as and all

upd concept for 7 is
7^1=7
7^2=49
7^3=343
7^4=2401
7^5=16807
7^6=117649
7^7=823543
7^8=5764801

if u observe opds here u can simply say 7,9,3,1 are coming
so for all natural numbers in the power of 7 divisible by 4 (4,8,12,16......) we get upd as 1
for numbers when divided by 4 gives reminder 1 ( 1,5,9,13........) we get upd as 7
for nums when div by 4 gives reminder 2 (2,6,10,14..........) we get upd as 9
for nums when divided by 4 gives reminder 3 (3,7,11,15.........) we get upd as 3

so in this case upd is 1

so like same in the case of 9^3 upd is 9

now come to prob by their upds

6-1-9=5-9=15-9=6

so the ans is 6[/b][/i]
Join the discussion

by gmatboost » Sun Aug 07, 2011 10:36 pm
To summarize:

0: 0, 0, 0, 0
1: 1, 1, 1, 1
2: 2, 4, 8, 6
3: 3, 9, 7, 1
4: 4, 6, 4, 6
5: 5, 5, 5, 5
6: 6, 6, 6, 6
7: 7, 9, 3, 1
8: 8, 4, 2, 6
9: 9, 1, 9, 1

You can practice recalling the patterns for each digit while on the train or doing something else. They all repeat after 1, 2, or 4. All you need to remember to go from one to the next is the previous one's digit. So, don't worry about
7^1=7
7^2=49
7^3=343
7^4=2401
7^5=16807
7^6=117649
7^7=823543
7^8=5764801
Just think
7^1= 7
7^2= 49
7^3= 7 * 9 = 63
7^4= 7 * 3 = 21
7, 9, 3, 1
Greg Michnikov, Founder of GMAT Boost

GMAT Boost offers 250+ challenging GMAT Math practice questions, each with a thorough video explanation, and 100+ GMAT Math video tips, each 90 seconds or less.
It's a total of 20+ hours of expert instruction for an introductory price of just $10.
View sample questions and tips without signing up, or sign up now for full access.


Also, check out the most useful GMAT Math blog on the internet here.
Join the discussion