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UPSC Prelims 2024CSATQuantitative AptitudeNumber System (Unit Digit)

Q17. 17. What is the rightmost digit preceding the zeros in the value of 30^30 ?

A. 1
B. 3
C. 7
D. 9✓ Correct

Detailed Solution

✓ Correct Answer: Option D

We need to find the rightmost non-zero digit of 30^30. We can write 30^30 as (3 × 10)^30 = 3^30 × 10^30. The term 10^30 indicates that there will be 30 zeros at the end of the number.

The digit immediately preceding these zeros will be the unit digit of 3^30. To find the unit digit of 3^30, we observe the cyclicity of the unit digits of powers of 3: 3^1 = 3 3^2 = 9 3^3 = 27 (unit digit 7) 3^4 = 81 (unit digit 1) 3^5 = 243 (unit digit 3) The cycle of unit digits for powers of 3 is (3, 9, 7, 1), which has a length of 4.

To find the unit digit of 3^30, we divide the exponent (30) by the cycle length (4): 30 ÷ 4 = 7 with a remainder of 2. The unit digit will be the same as the 2nd digit in the cycle, which is 9.

Therefore, the rightmost digit preceding the zeros in 30^30 is 9. This question tests number properties, specifically the concept of cyclicity of unit digits.

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