Lesson eLearning

Check whether can end with the digit for any natural number .

medium 2 marks Class 10 · Mathematics · Real Numbers
Answer
No. can never end with the digit .

Step-by-step solution

  1. A number ends with the digit only if it is divisible by .
  2. Since , such a number must have both and in its prime factorisation.
  3. Now factorise . Since , we get .
  4. The only primes appearing here are and . There is no factor of .
  5. By the Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic the prime factorisation of a number is unique, so a factor of cannot appear from anywhere else.
  6. Since never divides , neither does , and so cannot end in for any natural number .
Common mistake: Testing a few values such as , and and concluding from those. Checking examples is not a proof; the argument has to rule out every at once.

Concept tested: Fundamental Theorem of Arithmetic

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