Short Tricks to Find Unit Digit of an Expression (2)

Duration: 19 min

This video lesson is available to enrolled students.

Enroll to watch — TCS SuperSet Course

AI Summary

An AI-generated summary of this video lecture.

This educational video provides a comprehensive tutorial on finding the unit digit of large exponential numbers, a common problem in competitive exams. The instructor begins by introducing the concept of unit digit cyclicity, explaining that the unit digit of a number raised to a power follows a repeating pattern. The lesson systematically breaks down the behavior of digits 0 through 9. It first establishes that digits 0, 1, 5, and 6 have a cyclicity of 1, meaning their unit digit remains unchanged regardless of the power. Next, it covers digits 4 and 9, which have a cyclicity of 2, with their unit digits alternating between two values based on whether the exponent is odd or even. The core of the lesson focuses on digits 2, 3, 7, and 8, which all have a cyclicity of 4, meaning their unit digits cycle through four different values. The instructor demonstrates this by calculating the first few powers of each digit (e.g., 2^1=2, 2^2=4, 2^3=8, 2^4=16) to identify the repeating cycle. The video concludes by presenting a summary table that consolidates the cyclicity and power cycles for all digits 0-9, providing a quick reference for students. The entire explanation is supported by on-screen text, handwritten calculations, and a clear, step-by-step teaching approach.

Chapters

  1. 0:00 – 2:00 00:00-02:00

    The video opens with a title slide for a lesson on the 'NUMBER SYSTEM' by Yash Jain of Knowledge Gate Eduventures. The instructor introduces the topic, which is to find the unit digit of large exponential numbers. The first concept presented is that digits 0, 1, 5, and 6 have a cyclicity of 1, meaning their unit digit remains the same when raised to any power. For example, the text on screen states: '0^n = 0, 1^n = 1, 5^n = 5, 6^n = 6.' This establishes the foundation for the lesson.

  2. 2:00 – 5:00 02:00-05:00

    The instructor explains the cyclicity of digits 4 and 9, which have a cycle of 2. The on-screen text states: 'Digits 4 & 9: Both these numbers have a cyclicity of only two different digits as their unit digit.' The instructor demonstrates this by calculating the powers of 4: 4^1 = 4 (unit digit 4), 4^2 = 16 (unit digit 6), 4^3 = 64 (unit digit 4), and 4^4 = 256 (unit digit 6). This shows a repeating pattern of 4 and 6. The same logic is applied to 9, where 9^1 = 9, 9^2 = 81, 9^3 = 729, etc., showing a cycle of 9 and 1. The key takeaway is that for these digits, the unit digit depends on whether the exponent is odd or even.

  3. 5:00 – 10:00 05:00-10:00

    The lesson progresses to the most complex case: digits 2, 3, 7, and 8, which have a cyclicity of 4. The on-screen text states: 'Digits 2, 3, 7 & 8: These numbers have a power cycle of 4 different numbers.' The instructor demonstrates this by showing the power cycles. For digit 2: 2^1 = 2, 2^2 = 4, 2^3 = 8, 2^4 = 16, and then the cycle repeats (2, 4, 8, 6). For digit 3: 3^1 = 3, 3^2 = 9, 3^3 = 27, 3^4 = 81, and then the cycle repeats (3, 9, 7, 1). The same pattern is shown for 7 and 8. The method to solve a problem is to find the remainder when the exponent is divided by 4, which determines the position in the 4-step cycle.

  4. 10:00 – 15:00 10:00-15:00

    The instructor applies the learned concepts to solve a specific problem: finding the unit digit of 287^562581. The on-screen text shows the problem statement. The solution involves identifying the unit digit of the base, which is 7. The instructor then refers to the previously established rule that the unit digit of 7 follows a cycle of 4: 7, 9, 3, 1. To find the unit digit of 7^562581, the exponent 562581 is divided by 4. The remainder is 1 (since 562581 = 4*140645 + 1). This means the unit digit corresponds to the first number in the cycle, which is 7. The instructor also shows a list of other problems for practice, such as 185^563 and 271^6987, to reinforce the method.

  5. 15:00 – 18:33 15:00-18:33

    The video concludes with a summary table that consolidates all the concepts. The table, titled 'Cyclicity Table', lists the digits 0-9, their cyclicity (1, 2, or 4), and their power cycle. For example, it shows that digit 2 has a cyclicity of 4 and a power cycle of 2, 4, 8, 6. The instructor reviews the table, circling the key values. The final frame is a 'Thank You for Watching' message, indicating the end of the lesson.

The video presents a structured and logical progression for solving unit digit problems. It begins with the simplest cases (digits with cyclicity 1) and builds complexity by introducing digits with cyclicity 2 and then the most common case (cyclicity 4). The core method is to identify the unit digit of the base, determine its cyclicity, and then use the remainder of the exponent divided by the cyclicity to find the corresponding digit in the cycle. This systematic approach, reinforced by a summary table, provides students with a reliable and efficient strategy for tackling these types of questions in exams.