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pAtRiCk_sTar
post Dec 7 2004, 11:31 PM
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jellyfishing, jellyfishing
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aaacch i don't get this math problem, i'm really stupid. it's a junior high problem, so maybe someone could help?

Claire finished her assignment early, so her teacher suggested that she find the last digit of the product 3 x 3 to third power x 3 to fifth......x 3 to nineteenth. The entire product was too big for her calculator, but she still found the last digit. What is the last digit? Explain how she determined her answer

i know that if you add all the exponents, you'll get 3 to the 100th power, since
3+5+7+9+11+13+15+17+19=100 right (those are the exponent values...), so it'd be 3 to the 100th power. on my calc i got 5.153775207 to the 47th power.....what next?!?!!?

sorry if this is in the wrong board...i saw someone ask for math help awhile back, so i figured it'd be OK whistling.gif
 
 
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pAtRiCk_sTar
post Dec 8 2004, 02:02 AM
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jellyfishing, jellyfishing
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QUOTE(uninspiredfae @ Dec 7 2004, 10:43 PM)
It alternates between 1, 3, 9, 7. Just use a calculator and write out the numbers on a piece of paper. You'll see the pattern.

Every 4th power has the same ending digit, which happens to be 1.

By the way, it would be 1 instead of 3 because you start with 3^1 and then 4th power ends with 1.

ooooh i think i see what you're saying. so the 3 to the 100th power ends with a one right? but did you just write it all out or use some sort of technique??
 

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